I managed to do it years ago without knowing a single person and starting all by myself. Granted, I was young and stupid, but it worked just fine until I ended up passing it over.

- Think about things you want to put in your own guild. That is, what is it about other guilds that make you unhappy? What do other guilds lack you want in yours? Why do you want to make your own as opposed to being a part of someone else's? The reason I made my own guild was because I was never happy in other guilds.

- Recruit. Recruit, recruit, recruit. Depending on what kind of guild you're developing, post guild ads in the appropriate areas. If you're making a levelling guild, post an ad macro whenever you're in a different zone. If you're making a PVP guild, post an ad every time you're in a BG. If you're making a raiding guild, post an ad whenever you're in a capital city. (Heck, you should be posting an ad whenever you're in a capital city either.)

- Recognise the difference between people who want to be officers and people who are good officers. Good officer material are people who help out even though they're not officers, but without stepping on your toes.

- Remember why you're doing it. If you're doing this on a whim, it won't work out -- it takes solid, consistent commitment to get it right.

- Remember: drama between members is the scariest shit a GM can deal with. Often, conflicts are "his word against hers." And it can be really, really difficult to make the right decision. No matter what decision you make in these cases, not everyone will be happy. When drama flares up, chances are it's too late to make everything right and all you can do is damage control.

- Don't worry. If you feel like you're making it up as you go along, that's pretty much normal.