By starting this way, you can get rid of that "hole" in the middle. You can also easily make the center hole larger if you need. Here's a quick photo tutorial.
Follow the steps below:
1. make a loop with the end of the yarn, wrapping it around a couple of times
2. grab the yarn with your hook
3. chain 1 to secure
4. work your stitches over the wrapped part of the loop, working over both strands
5. pull the end to tighten into the size you would like!