I spent the next 365 days enveloped in growing my real estate business. 

There will always be little new things you learn on each deal but overall the investment generally grows to more than what you put in. 

Something to keep an eye out is the rapid growing corridor between Austin and San Antonio. :)

We need to have a decent cushion, considering the worth of our SoCal properties.Due to unforeseen family expenses and what's gone on in the stock market, we need to spend as little as possible (maybe up to $15k) for the time being while still being able to grow the company. 

However I have paid cash for all of the homes and find it hard to grow without additional lending.

To grow zero to 100k in ten years is not an easy feat. 

Every hour you spend fixing toilets or mowing lawns is an hour not devoted to growing your business.Think this thru now while you're devising your strategy.

This comes in handy if you have a growing company.

As of now I am looking for someone I can partner up with and learn together and possibly grow together

Kids grow up too fast and life is too short for that.Happy hunting!