Skeat.....there are tons of classes out there from the novice to the most experienced. This is a craft that you never stop learning. There are new things out every day.
The best places to get classes (and the cheapest) are major quilt shows. Like Road to Calif, Innovations, MQX,(Machine quilters expo) MQS (Machine quilters showcase) and many more. Also, some of the quilt shops or longarm sales shops give classes.
Our suggestion is to try all of the brands that you can get to. Most all quilt shows now have longarm vendors where you can go and play with the machines. The machine that is right for one person may not be right for everyone.
Joanne......Once you have decided what machine to get, you will also need a license, pay taxes, buy thread, rulers and templates, stencils, bags to return customers quilts, an extend abase for using your rulers. This is a very expensive hobby to get into and not for the faint of heart.
When you are ready to take in customer quilts depends entirely up to you. You do have to PPP (practice, practice, practice) Some people can develope quickly, some people never seem to get it at all and eventually sell out.
You also have to do some leg work. How many quilters are in your area? How many longarmers? What are you going to charge? Some areas can't afford us, some don't care what we charge.
It's a business, treat it as such.