To start off with my husband and I very young compared to many people who want to buy a laser engraver. We are both only 21. Unlike a lot of people, however, we are very realistic about what owning a laser engraver entails. We do not want one to "get rich" or even completely replace our current jobs. I have close to three experience laser engraving with an epilog helix and Corel Draw X5. We were brought a lot of custom work and I rarely turned down a job. I actually managed the shop I worked at for close to a year before we moved. I'm not trying to say that "Oh, I'm so awesome" or anything, just that I'm not going into this blindly like a lot of people my age do. There really won't be a learning curve at all. We have a shop to set up the laser and a pretty solid business plan (one that doesn't involve ipods or laptops I swear!). I have already made prototypes of many custom items I plan on selling using a friend's laser and have several shops interested in carrying my items and quite a bit of interest online. We have the time to run the laser as a second job as we don't have kids and just go to school and work.
The problem I'm sure we will face is no one wants to give that kind of money to two 21 year olds. We have a car loan that we've had for two years and are almost paid off on and pretty solid credit (700-720), but we barely qualify for most credit cards because of our age. He is a veteran and that sometimes helps, but not always. We can put down anywhere from $2000-$4000, but that's about it. We only need a small laser. An Epilog Zing or Mini would be fine, and I'd even settle for a cheaper laser if they have good customer service and a warranty. I just don't really want to lease through the laser company don't know if a bank loan would be even attainable at this point. Any advice would be so appreciated.