I have to disagree with you about the mixing part 100%. I started recording all my own tracks and worked extra hard at the mixing aspect, which eventually walked me up the ladder and opened many doors for my career, first starting out as an engineer at Lynch studio.
With so many artists today having the luxury to buy the basic equipment to record and even compose beats (a true producer is something completely different, but that`s another tutorial), there is no excuse not to save the needed funds and take your work to someone who can make your music stand out. There are many "fake" engineers out there, yes, I know, but there are many quality mixing engineers who will do the job for the right price.
Regardless of what many might think, a solid mix can, and will separate you from every other bedroom rapper "coming soon" on a Myspace or message board near you. If you want to be taken serious, you have to be serious, and sorry to burst some bubbles, but listening to a poorly sounding mix ruins it. It shows you`re not serious enough to put your best foot forward. If you can`t even do that, why would a label want you? Why would a venue book you? Who would actually bump your cd in their car or mp3 player? Let alone buy it?
I can answer that for you. Everyone of your "yes-men" around you will knock the daylights out of your music, but who else? The point is, always try to put your best foot forward. Look the best you can, sound the best you can. I know many quality engineers who have offered mixing and mastering on single tracks for as low as $45-50 per track. If you can`t afford to invest that into yourself, no one else will.