You need to have the choke system adjusted. Any old carbureted vehicle is perfectly capable of being driven away as easily as an EFI car if the choke system is properly adjusted. I sit only long enough to put my seat belt on in my Impala (and any of the other cars I have owned, Rochester or Holley equipped), plug my phone in and then I am in gear backing out my driveway and driving away. If you want to tackle it yourself; start with making sure the choke blade closes fully when cold. To set the choke, you fully depress the gas pedal once (possibly a few times if the vehicle is difficult to start or if it is cold out), this sets the choke and squirts fuel into the manifold to be made available for vaporization. When the engine starts the choke pull-off will crack open the choke blade a pre-determined amount (critical measurement), this is fully adjustable and you will need the specs for your particular carb. If it is 100% original and stock, the specs are easily available, I have them if you provide your carb number. If you are using an aftermarket carb or if any changes have been made to the vehicle (hotter cam, aluminum manifold, headers etc.) you will need to adjust this accordingly to suit the modified engine. You will also need to verify operation of the fast idle cam and that the fast idle RPM is correct. As the vehicle warms up and the choke coil gradually warms up, the choke blade will start to open and the fast idle cam will drop sequentially lower and lower finally to the lowest step. The choke pull-off / fast idle symbiotic relationship is also important for the first start, your fast idle cam will be on the highest step and even though the choke pull-off has cracked the choke blade open you will remain on very high idle (~2000 RPM) until you "blip" the gas pedal, then the fast idle will drop to the next setting. Many techs / tuners etc. people don't get this relationship right. If your vehicle is not 100% original / stock someone may have disabled the choke system... that is common.
