I admire your determination.
I'm not sure how realistic it would be to get into the LA business for your area. If the demand isn't high in the local area perhaps internet orders are the way to go. On DeviantArt there are a few people I watch who do artwork commissions and they only have so many "spots" open. Like, for an example, they'll take 10 commissions and won't take any more until so many are done. Maybe you could do something like that if the demand in your area isn't high. If you do go the online route be specific on what your machine and can't do. A couple times I've seen claims that the machine can do anything only to find my imagination for stitching was beyond what the machine could do. Show examples of your work.
But before you do any of that: PRACTICE. To quote a favorite musician of mine "Practice because you're not going to get it on the first try". I'd start off with the economical all over designs and get the hang of that before you branch out into the more customized work.