I just got my own longarm. In the process of setting her up right now. But, I've used others before this. I did my homework for over a year & test drove many machines in that time frame. I'm so excited about having my very own Longarm!
Like all other aspects of quilting, we have to learn to crawl before we can walk. I'm going to have a big learning curve on my machine with practice, practice, practice!
Youtube has lots on longarming. Also, there are chatrooms everywhere to ask questions. Don't be afraid to ask!
Have any of you tried the Red Snappers for loading your quilts? They're not expensive & you can load a quilt in @ 10 minutes! Just google Red Snappers & you'll find them. Good tutorial videos on the site as well.