Welcome!
I'm not far ahead of you, maybe I can help a bit. If you can find a mentor that would be awesome. I would still encourage you to purchase if you can other study guides if they are within your budget. Several good books such as "The Gunsmiths of Grenville County", "Recreating an American Longrifle", and Chuck Dixon's book all deserve high marks. Pioneer Video does several good DVD's that I bought from Chamber's Flintlocks, but I believe other places sell them and maybe they can be rented through Netflixs. You may not always be able to get together with your mentor and some knowledge before you meet would probably be appreciated by him or her and you could familarize yourself with the various terms, parts etc.
As for tools, I found a list on this forum but I can't seem to find it now. A member posted a list of tools with the must have highlighted in red. It may have been on the old site and I can't seem to locate it now. Maybe someone here who is more tech savy than I can for you.
Good "sharp" chisels are a must. If I remember correctly, 1/8", 3/16" 1/4" and 1/2" for starters. Rasps, a #49 and or #50 Nicholsons were recommended. A good rotating vise is also a must, atleast for me. Gouges I think that were listed were 1/2" 5/8" 8mm with #7 sweep and 10mm. Appropriate taps and drill bits. I'm sure there are some others that I have missed. Hopefully others can help.
Where to start? That seems to be governed by budget and what style a person wants to build. Some people start with a kit such as the Lyman's, which I understand is some fitting of parts, but mostly finish work. Other's like myself saved up my $$ and bought I guess what would be considered a "highend" component set. As many have mentioned here it is not hard to turn an $800 dollar set into a $400 dollar gun though. Do a search here and on other forums. This question has been asked alot and pay particular attention to the post that asked questions like myslef. Someone has already purchased the kit that you might be considering and see what problem they may be having .
Good luck and have fun, it's great!
