Well, I won't be buying much from anyone, until I find a new job.
But I must say that most of the companies, if not all, mentioned, do produce stuff up my alley - only problem is, even with a job I cannot afford everything I'd like to have - let alone manage to prep and paint all I purchase.....
So, allthough I may not agree with everything Scurv writes, I do think he is right when he says that a gamer should purchase what he likes, and needs right now.
I'm not saying this to put off any of you out there producing stuff - I think you're all contributing to the worldwide gaming society in a great way, but there has to be some sort of demand/supply mechanism in this 'industry', too, and those of you wanting to make a fair living out of what most likely started out as a hobby simply HAVE to find a product selling enough to make further investments in your lines viable.
I also think that combining your own ranges with selling stuff from other companies - or keeping your 'normal' dayjob while searching for 'the vein' is a sound strategy (although the latter may take great tolls on your family life).
I do admire the resolve and courage of anyone trying to carve out his own business from scratch, something I would never dare (I have a university degree in languages, business economics, and international marketing, and I'm all too aware of the many snares and pitfalls associated with starting a business).
Plus, I DO think it's a good idea to put money aside to pay one's taxes, when you don't pay direct income tax (we do that in Denmark, and you rarely have any big surprises when it comes to that, but we do have something called B-income (small businessses on the side, or similar) that isn't deducted at the time of earning it, and we DO have to remember to save the taxes up for that...).