I don't bake cakes for a living but I do cook and bake all the time for my family of 5. I can't even imagine life without my kitchen aid. My husband bought it for me 9 years ago and I use it several times a week. It has never failed me. =) It's definitely worth the investment IMO.
I agree with everyone - my KitchenAid is a MUST for me!
While the price tag on those mixers can be scary, you can also buy them refurbished. I used to work at KitchenAid and their refurbished mixers/countertop also come with warranties and are in great condition at a lower price.
You can also buy their white mixers at lower cost than the colored units.
Hope this helps!
Would you consider buying another brand? My KA Artisan has been very unreliable (less than 2 yrs old) and the customer service people at KA weren't very helpful when I called them with the problems....actually, they were quite nasty and told me I should just buy a new one!! I'm planning on getting a Cuisinart when this one finally dies. 
I went through this dilemma a few months back, I just hated spending so much money, but I make about 4-5 cakes sometimes more a month and I don't know where I'd be w/out my KA. I did get a great deal through amazon during their black Friday week and was able to get my hands on a KA professional 600 for the price that many stores sell the artisan for. My friend was lending me her artisan and though I was happy w/it, this model is SO much better and more powerful. I know it's a big investment, but it's probably been the best investment I've made since I started working on cakes (my next is a good airbrush!). Good luck and make sure you shop around and look for rebates and coupons not only from the stores and on-line stores but also KA themselves, the do have an outlet on-line too.
HTH
I have a KA (5 1/2 qt) and I wouldn't go smaller. It is a good size for bread and doubled cake recipes. I really loved my KA.
However....I just bought a 7qt Cuisenart and am in HEAVEN! I really love this machine! It is big so it sits on the counter, but the plastic cover prevents all the ps poof without the need of a towel. The timer is great and it has a fold setting.
I have an older KA and love it, but needed a bigger bowl. I decided to purchase a 7 qt Cuisinart for my second mixer and absolutely love it! I heard a lot of bad things about the newer KAs and didn't want to invest that kind of money into one and have it fail, so checked into other brands. I heard a lot of good about Viking and Cuisinart, but the Viking was a little out of my range with what I wanted. Couldn't be happier with the Cuisinart, so it might be worth a look-see for you.
..phew i am so confused 
I know what you mean. When I was looking, I was so sure I was going to go with KA. The one I have has never been a problem. The only reason I was getting another one was I wanted a bigger bowl, and I needed a mixer at a cabin we have in the mountains -- I was going to take the older one up there. But when I started checking into KA, heard a lot of bad reviews about the newer models. Mine was made by Hobart and I will have it repaired if it ever does break down, but I just don't trust the new ones any more. Like all makes and models, you have your lemons and your gems, but I just didn't want to have the new one break down with the old one up in the mountains, and me without a mixer. So after lots of checking, I opted to go with the Cuisinart and I haven't been sorry. I even ordered the beaterblade online to go with it. Love, love, love the beaterblade! Have one on my KA, too. Don't have to stop the machine and scrape down the sides like you do with the blade included with the mixer. I also like the fact that the Cuisinart starts out slower than the KA does, and it has a timer which I utilize ALOT! Good luck in your decision making process. It took me over a month to finally make my decision, but I did have a working mixer to use in the meantime.
I had kept having to buy really good hand mixers and they kept breaking down in a year or so or less because they just could not handle the level of baking that I do. I have a Marbecks appliance store near by and went in and got a KA lift stand mixer and love it. It was probably about 150-200 less than I would have paid in a reg. retail store for the same thing and they were very friendly and helpful. They also had told my mother before I got this one that the kitchen aid mixer is worth having fixed. Speaking of which I think that I will ask my mother to bring her old Kitchen aid mixer and bowl with her and I will have it fixed. She was going to give it to me and we have just not had the chance to get together. So now I could have two mixers and I definitely could use two. Her old one is smaller than the one I have now, but that is ok.
Do some research before you finally decide on a KA. A search right here on CC will garner you lots of information on the pros and cons of buying a KA mixer.
KA used to be the best mixer on the market until Whirlpool bought out Hobart, or Hobart sold to whirlpool. Whatever way it was, since that time there's been ongoing problems with KA mixers. Plastic gears replacing the original metal gears, then metal gears being put back in place of the pastic gears because of sooo many customer complaints. KAs that can't seem to mix anything thick without burning out the motor, etc, etc.
With KA mixers nowadays, one or two persons might luck out and get a KA that works like a charm, and they'll rave about how wonderful their KA is, whereas 4 or 5 others will end up with KAs that are duds and have nothing but problems and hate the fact they bought them.
There's other brands of mixers out there that are very good, up to excellent. KA is the "prettiest" mixer on the market, but its not always the most reliable. Being pretty won't help much if it doesn't do the job.
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