Question from a newbie on how to find a good business partner

[Alain Pujolar]

Hello, Everyone!

My name is Alain. I'm a Miami native living in Beavercreek, OH, which is a city in Dayton. I've been living here for 5.5 yrs now. I moved up right after I finished grad school to take a job as an Epidemiologist I couldn't refuse. After a few months of living here, I joined the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization of Dayton. After a few months, on March 31, 2016, I was finally matched with an amazing 10 year old boy. That day was extremely emotional for me because exactly four years prior, I had lost my grandmother. It was as if she was sending this incredible boy to me. Through him, I met his other siblings (1 brother, 1 sister) who are absolutely amazing as well. It was an instant bond between us. I was lucky enough to create a very special bond with his younger brother as well since we took him out with us on almost every outing since he was waiting to get matched with someone. At the time I met them, they all lived with their maternal grandfather and step grandmother. Unfortunately, their father had passed away of a drug overdose in December of 2014, and their mother also has substance abuse issues.  

Through circumstances I'm not allowed to discuss, in late 2016, he was taken away from the house to a different city and placed in a treatment facility for 18 months. Since he was not allowed to go back to his home, he was going to stay with his maternal grandmother, but unfortunately, she at the last minute decided she didn't want to take him in. That left him with going into the foster care system. In my heart, I knew I couldn't let him go through that, especially if he wasn't going to be close to his siblings. It was a no brainer for me. I decided I was going to take him in.

In late February of 2018 he came to live with me, and by August of that same year, I was officially made his Legal Guardian. He just turned 15 years old, and is thriving in school. I couldn't be more proud. His brother is now 13 years old, and sister is 10. My life has been gifted with such an incredible gift. I'm blessed to have them as part of my life. I'm also trying to get his brother to come live with us since he's not too happy living with his grandparents. Now, I live for him and by extension, his siblings. They are my "Why." I want to give them the best life I possibly can. That's the reason why I started in the REI space. I want to leave them a legacy they'll be proud of.

I've been in the REI space for a few months, and I'm ready to take my business to next level and hit the ground running. Trying to scale a business up is a lot of work for one person, especially if they want to do it sooner rather than later. I would like to find someone who's in the same situation as me, but I just don't know how to begin, or where to look. For those of you who has had success in connecting with someone they've never met before to start a business, what strategies did you implement to seek that person out? Are there any websites that I can go to where I can place and ad or search for other people who are in the same situation as me? Any help with this would be truly appreciated.

I look forward in hearing from you!

Alain