For a long period initially I ran a relatively fast and small fleet because my primary focus was exploration missions, and if I ran into anyone my first choice was always to run. There’s really no starting option fleet initially that can take on much you’re likely to run into.
I picked up storage and a couple salvage gantry ships along with tankers and stuck to that for quite awhile just slowly making more money. Pay attention to the choices you make for your captain, they cap at 50 so where you load in points eventually stops leaving areas you didn’t choose permanently unavailable.
I tended to not salvage ships, I broke’em up for supplies that extended my search area.
Your mileage may vary, but I took a commission when the opportunity arose to help defray monthly costs and keep me profitable. It has the downside of sometimes putting you at odds with the other factions because they periodically go to war, but it doesn’t last. The steady income is pretty handy. But it does limit who you can buy ships from down the road because to be on a commission with one necessarily means you’re not on great relations with the rest.