The give way here is that you call these folks your friends -- and while it's good to have friends that's different than "partners". What you need are partners

The give way here is that you call these folks your friends -- and while it's good to have friends that's different than "partners". What you need are partners so you need to take the first steps and meet people with similar interests (in a business sense) outside your immediate circle. And for what it's worth maybe look for those skills that you're lacking like business experience.