Perhaps you can bypass the dealers license requirement by focusing on ATVs only.

I'm not certain, but is seems to me a motor vehicle dealers license would not apply to off road vehicles that cannot be licensed for on road use.

I may be way off on this one ... I didn't take the time to check, but I'm sure someone will confirm or correct me here in the forum.

As for starting small without spending an arm and a leg, if you focus on ATVs only and go with a lesser known name brand (eager to set up dealerships) you just might be able to do it.