If there is someone around who has experience hand-starting their engines in that size that you can work with, you won't have any trouble. It's a bit harder to pick up on your own, but not really that tough with most engines. However, it can be frustrating if things aren't set up right.

I also agree that you're probably best off just getting the starter.

That said, you will learn a lot more about making your engine run right if you hand start. There are quite a few guys at my field who really only know the basics about running engines, but they know enough to have fun most of the time, so they're fine with it.

It also depends a lot on the engine. Some engines are easier to hand-start than others. The key thing to hand starting for most engines is getting the prime right. Not enough fuel and it won't start, too much and it won't start. And I've found that different brand engines seem to like different amounts of priming.