I don’t mind waiting on clowns as the two i was looking at can be fairly pricey. What about like a firefish? They seem shy.
In particular, the helfrichi. I love the colors of it then introduce a few clowns later.
Yes, firefish are a good start. Clownfish are actually pretty aggressive. My tank got a little crowded, and my female clown (which I added last with her mate) killed my firefish. You say "a few clownfish". I think you will only want to do 2, and get a bonded pair if you can.