Law / Re-opening business in Poland as a self employed contractor? [4]

Hello all

I am a US citizen who lived and worked in Poland for several years. I moved away in 2009 and am thinking about returning.

Originally I worked as an employee of a firm, and later I opened my own business, got a NIP and worked as a freelancer for two different firms as a contractor, paying tax on my income and ZUS monthly. It was no problem for me to open my own business at the time as I had a Karta Pobytu from my original job.

Now if I return I am curious if it would be possible for me to return to Poland, re-open my business and again gain employment as a contractor? A friend from the UK who still lives there says a lot has changed and it's now much more difficult, and that I need a Karta Pobytu in order to open a business, but need a business (or some other legitimate reason to be in Poland) in order to gain a Karta Pobytu, creating a catch-22 type situation.

Could anyone please advise?

Many thanks!