I started forging custom blades as a side hobby and it’s turned into a decent side business.
Here’s my personal advice on getting started yourself.

Knifemaking falls into four steps:

1) Forging (optional)
2) Heat-treating (optional)
3) Stock-removal
4) Sharpening

Knifemaking on an industrial scale is done by what is called “stock removal” wherein a bar of certain quality steel that has already been heat-treated at the mill is machined to a knife-like shape using CNC equipment. No name-brand knives that you find in a store were actually forged by the maker. It is entirely possible to make knives yourself using stock removal techniques without having to invest in CNC equipment. A simple bench grinder or a sanding disk on a drill will suffice. However, if you want to get serious you will need a belt grinder with both slack space and a vertical platen. 2x48 and 2x72 are the best grinders you can get for the task. Good quality 2x48 and 2x72 grinders are expensive, but they generally have a 20+ year life expectancy and the motor can always be replaced. The grinder frame will last forever. It is certainly possible to build your own grinder as well for under $100, but that is outside the scope of this tutorial.