Relationships build customer loyalty, and loyal customers stick with you in hard times. When going into business for yourself, it seems best to start with a sizeable equity commitment, and try to keep it intact, as your buffer against lean times.
It is not a good idea to start a business with borrowed money, because you invariably start with no customers and therefore no revenue. You will need to fund yourself, start-up costs and much of the initial running costs, all out of your own resources, until you have built revenues to the breakeven level.