Speaking as a "noob", I'd be happy to get through to level 2 of a guild expedition! Indeed if things get any harder I might just unpack my dominoes and say goodbye to FoE.
You simply need to be patient and build up your city's power - whether you choose to fight, negotiate, or hybridise, it simply takes time to build your various boosts.
But really, just look at getting the following foundation down as quickly as you can:
1. Zeus + CoA + CdM
- this is your military basics. Other boosts, such as Sentinel Towers and atk boosting buildings will drip down over time as you play through the 8-9 main events/year.
2. Chateaux Frontenac
- the single most underrated GB in the entire game! This building makes you self sufficient in not only goods, but also coins/supplies and will also become a secondary fp generator to boot.
Oh, and the occasional diamond boost too, because what self-respecting girl doesn't want a heap of extra shinies?!
3. Arc
- work on this in stages, as it's typically a 7/8+ month project to get it to Lv80.
The initial 20 levels or so can be painful, especially for an early era city to manage, but once you hit Lv31, it will level at light speed through Lv60/61 if you find your a good guild with a 1.9 leveling thread.
Once it eventually hits Lv80, the entire dynamic of the game changes as you can print fps + medals at will.
Remember: this game is a long haul marathon, not a sprint!
You'll get there eventually, but event getting these few basics down & leveled up to Lv10 each is a massive game-altering boost... and from there, the higher you take even just CF + Arc, the more the game opens up.
While searching for a new Guild to join I have encountered so many "one-man" and few member Guilds which don't actually do anything. That said, I have also seen small Guilds who are romping away, because each member is a dedicated, experienced and serious player.
Just search through the top 25-30 guilds in your world, as those will be the most active.
Typically, there's always at least 2-3 of those top guilds who will happily take on new/early era players, and are full of active members who will provide you with plenty of help, such as 'free' goods to build advanced GB's, 1.9 leveling threads, etc...