It's all in proper priming which Nathan King covered very well. Once you get it down, you will find that the engine starts so easily that you may never bother with the weight and extra fuss of an electric starter.
Using a chicken stick is just as safe or maybe safer than an electric starter, no cord to get tangled in the prop.

I feel that the "safety" of an electric starter is highly overstated. Most all of the really serious prop accidents that I have witnessed did not happen during starting but with engines that were already running, usually while adjusting the needle valve but also with an unexpected throttle up while standing in front of the plane. Electrics have also cut people's fingers, arms, and legs and you don't even need to start them.