Many of is must start in areas where we can build a portfolio as some of us have capital, not enough for the locale where we reside, for what we're trying to accomplish at the present time.

Can anyone recommend the best way to accomplish this?

You've run into a Debt to Income issue most likely.Depending where you are located, what you want to accomplish and how involved you will be in real estate there are different answers.

Congrats on your savings accomplishment thus far! 

I have a family also, so house hacking is not the easiest thing to accomplish under normal circumstances.

Does anyone know a good reference business plan or format in which to use that showcases what I'm trying to accomplish?

We would like to get a gas station back on it.What would be the best way to target that and get that accomplished?

Sure, excel is great, but some software services provide beautiful reports that make for excellent organization of financial figures and great investor presentation. 

Trying to find what is the most advantageous way to accomplish my goals.

They are already beasts in the real estate world (too many steps ahead for me to be good accountability to them).I'm looking for a master mind group or something along those lines in which myself and others can accomplish the 4th point above.