I set up everything myself. I have an RF remote controlled shutter for my camera, and I have my camera plugged into a screen of some sort (sometimes a TV, sometimes a computer monitor) so I can see where I need to stand and preview poses.

As for lighting it depends on where I am. If I'm in a room with a lot of good ambient light I'll probably just use the available light and not add any extra. Though, lately, I've been using my Amaran LED light tubes. I have two 4ft lights and one 2ft light. I really like them because I can control the colours of the lights on my phone. I'd say light is very important. Photography is basically painting with light, so the more you have usually the better. I tend to try to get softer lighting, but it really depends on what you like. I personally don't really care for hard shadows in most cases.

After taking photos I process them in Lightroom, which is a whole other thing unto itself, but it does play a big role in how my photos come out in the end.

So, basic tips I would say more light = better, get to know how the different controls on the camera interact with each other (apeture, ISO, focal length, etc) so you know how your camera handles different amounts of light, and just play with it. Just take pictures of regular stuff around the room, see how they come out, try different settings, take the picture again, see how it changes.