Install a good electric pump with a good filter and make sure the carb float is set correctly.
If my machine sits for more than one week, I have to run the starter for 5 to 8 seconds to fill the carb bowl. On the second try, it fires right up. I added a prime button to avoid having to run the starter. Now, a few seconds on the prime button, full choke and she fires right up.
If it sits for two or three days, it does requires a few seconds of prime. I used to think I had a carb or fuel line leak, but the carb has a vent tube, maybe 3/8" diameter, to the atomosphere from the bowl. With that vent and the dry air we have, the gas just evaporates away like candy in a kids hand.
My pump sits at the lowest point in the fuel path and has had water accumulate in it's bottom when it wasn't run for a long time. Position your pump to avoid this situation if you can. I killed three cheap pumps before I figured it out.