mkc

I've been seriously looking into getting a longarm, primarly for my personal quilts (I currently FMQ on a domestic Janome and am tired of having to baste the quilt sandwich together).

As part of this, I've been attending some of the brands' roadshows/demos in the area. It seems they like to push the idea of starting a longarm business. Some tout the tax deduction (which personally I feel is quite inflated, since it depends on your tax bracket), others present the "time to payback" of the longarm paying for itself.

I do know from reading that homeowner's insurance won't cover a business longarm, so I'm aware of some of the insurance issues. What other bits of unbiased advice can folks who have started their own longarm service share? Is there really a demand for these services or is it overstated by the longarm companies (who say things like "whoa - if you don't want to quilt for others, get the machine delivered at night, don't tell anyone", etc.)? For those who have started such a business and stopped, how long did you do it for and why did you stop?

I'm not looking for brand recommendations - I already know what I want to buy. I'm just curious if it's worth looking into the business end of things as it's not something I've considered. I'm not a member of a guild (I tend not to be a "joiner") and have no real feel for how much demand there is in this area, either.

Thanks,

Michelle