Hi Ian,
Thanks for that!
I don't really know what our budget is yet, we are just looking at options.
The general feeling from this forum seems to be that as a start up we should start of with a porty..? But I don't like waisting time (or money ) messing around when I know where I'm aiming to be!
We already have a well established domestic leaning biz with 130 regular customers (potential cc customers) and are aiming to set up the carpet cleaning a separate biz -not just an add on.
However...we only want to fill 3 days per week with cc as I need hubby's help with running the DC biz.
lots of things to consider: financing- do we want to spend lots before really testing cc out?, and can we make a good return on investment with just 3 days per week worked?
and lack of experience with the machines- should we spend time with a porty for a while to gain some confidence..

Thanks to everyone that has given advice so far, we are hoping to get some tickets for the Capet cleaners carnival which looks like a start.