Any hands on/ground work input is appreciated.

But it's better to go smart and careful until you've laid the proper groundwork.

It's also true that it is easy to raise money in the context of an actual deal, but this will be extremely hard to do if you have not already laid your groundwork first.As soon as you are committed to the course of buying real estate, it's a good idea to start speaking to as many people as possible about your vision and getting soft commitments.  

I'll be working on closing on a house over the next month as my brother handles all the "boots on the ground" work in N.

We are very eager to get started but are also trying to lay the ground work before jumping right in.

This industry at first glance looks so busy and full of complex terms but i am willing to put in the ground work.

Personally for this sort of thing I find it helpful to lay the groundwork early.

I will bring cash to the table , they do all the ground work finding, rehabbing,selling..etc.  

I have been able to kind of set the groundwork to my business and learn a TON without leaving this website here.

There is no exact time or date or number of deals to do before forming a business entity but since you have a partner up front you need a contract that lays groundwork.