I have found "Getting the Business" to be the most challenging. You don't have to have big bucks to get started, though. If you don't have money, make time work for you instead.

I have spent the last 3 years working 9-???, making contacts anywhere/anyway possible, doing pro-bono work, and taking on small projects to build word of mouth (and of course researching at the monestary). Still working 9-???, but more project requests are coming my way, and more real money is ending up in my pocket.

It all depends on your goals here. If you want to jump headfirst into the marketplace and quickly stake out a dominant position or niche, you will need money and contacts now. But if you build your business slowly, I think you will find that you gain a following of loyal customers that return to you repeatedly, even for things you may never have considered.

just my $.02 digger

btw - I am most definitely not rich. Sole breadwinner, 3 children, debt etc, etc. And, I am just as geeky as anyone else here on perlmonks ;)