Since opening Enlisted Records:
Writing the book Buffalo Sergeant was the catalyst for starting this small publishing business, that and preparing to retire from the Army and enter civilian life. Starting a small business and becoming an entreprenuer in the publishing industry requires some innovation to bring anything new to an old industry. Not nececarilly a revolutionary invention like the Gutenberg press in 1440 but just enough to niche market and make a profit.
Since my first month of business in January, there were not many book sales, but I am happy to report that I made my first dollar. It was through an ebook sale, a format easy to read on the plane. The ebooks are not sold through this site but through lulu.com. February is African American History month so I will be promoting it more.
On the aerial photography side of Enlisted Records there have also been developments. I took the Federal Aviation Regulation Part 107 exam and received my Small Unmanned Aircraft System certification. That shows I know how to operate safely in non-recreational flight, I had already passed The Recreational UAS Safety Test and got my TRUST certification last year. Over the year I identified several areas nearby in the DC SFRA where I could operate and refine my flying skills.
Adding the Part 107 was not enough to bring the operation up to FAA standards though. In October, all UAS were required to be tracked in the airspace which most were unable to do. Mine were not so, I upgraded my drone to comply with the remote identification rule. Today, I completed the installation of the remote ID module and am now fully compliant and ready to take some awe-inspiring shots. You may see some published on the evening news, lol.
In the music publishing department, the long labor of releasing songs as NFT has been ongoing. There have been some new mints dropped on OpenSea. More music NFT are also available for sale. I have contemplated moving to a different market because OpenSea has recently reverted to a more generic music NFT format that does not allow for audio files to be included. I have found a way to still incorporate the music by linking to the YouTube video, but it is so obscure that it’s almost an easter egg.
Always looking for opportunities to make combat boot clocks!