I'd recommend getting a few deals under your belt and to keep track of the results with the goal of using them as a confidence boost for future potential partners/private investors. 

I really want to do flips as well as buy and holds (ideally multi-family units, apartments are the goal).

What Bob said above is what most of our clients do through us.And while the desired income level varies, the goal we map out seems to be 5-7 years typically until they've met it.We have a dentist in CO we're working with to map out an aggressive 5 year strategy (starting with more liquid cash) and jumping into a few 4 unit buildings as well as SFR.  

My current real estate goal is to just learn as much as possible until I am ready to do my first deal (which I hope to do in the next 1-2 years).

The goal is to subdivide the land, sell the house with only part of the land and keep the remaining.

Is having properties in LLc's and Trusts a factor in choosing a property management software?

Our goal is to acquire a mixture of properties single-family and multifamily to buy  and hold

My personal real estate goal is to invest and build a portfolio.

My wife and I are in the energy industry and love our jobs but recent market conditions have us wanting to hedge our income resources.To be honest, I don't have any aggressive or lofty goals at this time.  

. * Discuss the goals and expectations.