To be fair, I started Du'uma Fiisi with a pilot and a dream.
No, that's too dramatic.
Really, it was a pilot and an unfilled niche in the RP scheme. I was surprised to find my first applications came from Amarrian players, one of whom had been in a CVA corp previously. But, I needed
fodder pilots, so I worked with it. I eventually ended up with Mizhara's quickly growing skill as a frigateer and Zu's diplomatic acumen as well as growing skill as a frigateer to mix with flux's frigate skill (him and his bloody interceptors - refused to fly anything else!) and me and Max in cruiser hulls mostly, occasional BC...
There were a few others off and on, but the core of the thing was just the 5 of us. And we had a blast, imo
What I'm trying to say is, yeah, definitely make sure you've got a core to work with but it doesn't need to be a huge one.
EDIT: I think our biggest block to recruitment may not have been RP as a pvp corp 'thing' as much as we thought it was back then. I think it may have just been the hard line and people having a perception (despite the non Minnie members like Max, flux and Zu) that A: you had to be Minmatar to play with us or B: you had to be as rabid as Havo and Miz seemed to be (despite Zu very much not being rabid).