What are the best laser cutting machines for small businesses?

So I was helping my cousin set up this tiny metal work corner he wanted to turn into a side business, nothing huge just custom signs and small parts. First question we hit was which laser cutting machine even makes sense when you are not running some big factory.

We started by asking around, then I went online and kinda fell into those endless listing pages. Even on Alibaba, when you scroll long enough, you start seeing everything from small desktop units to serious fiber machines. What helped was reading random buyer comments and looking at real photos, not just polished ones. It gave a more real feel of what people actually get.

Funny part, we almost picked a super cheap one just to save money, but then a local shop guy showed us his machine struggling with thicker sheets and that changed our mind real quick.

In the end we leaned toward a mid range fiber cutter, felt safer for future work too.

Still not fully sure though, for a small business starting out should we go basic and upgrade later or just invest properly from day one?