Hi @kongen, I was actually browsing when this post catches my attention. I know exactly where you're coming from. Thousands of writers are posting every day, in fact, a lot of steemians writes good quality content yet the possibility of getting notice is still very low. Thus, you need to exert extra effort to get yourself noticed.

With your question, if it's even possible to build up an income on Steemit.com without making a real investment with your own money first, Definitely yes, there are a lot of ways that you can do to earn.

You can check my post about
How to get extra exposure in Steemit,
Different ways to acquire Steem Power in Steemit and
Different ways to earn SBD/Steem in Steemit

You can also take a look on how I started and grow here in Steemit

I'm very sorry to hear that you're being flagged most of the time, but it's maybe because you are already spamming all around. You don't have to beg for upvotes, resteem and followers, most steemians doesn't like that. Instead, focus on creating good quality content, engaged to a conversation and make friends with other steemians. I advise that you take time to read the links I gave you to learn more about it,