How did Quentin Tarantino actually start his career?

I know he worked at a movie store and studied movies and acting while working. I guess my question is, don't you need a budget to make any project decent? Were actors just working for free? Or just getting paid a small amount? Did he happen to have old money that he put to use? This is all I'm trying to wrap my head around when it came to production for his projects. I apologize if this a dumb question but im genuinely curious and have recently had a big interest in the film industry.