[NickC25]

Seconded. Get out of your office or house and become part of a larger community. Ideally, you will meet the right folks, or meet folks who know the right folks. Networking can really help. People naturally want to help others (for the most part).

Also, completely agree that you need to be prepared to pay folks, unless you are very close with them and they explicitly understand that you haven't raised, and are at an early stage. If you can't pay them, ask for simple advice and ask if you can call on them for help if/when you do raise/have money.

OP - if you don't know what you are looking for, ideally, be comfortable asking what you would think as stupid (or basic) questions. Don't worry, serious and/or good people worth working with or for won't mock you for that. Just because something is second nature to me (a product/sales/marketing person) doesn't mean it's second nature to someone who has a background in finance or systems engineering or whatever. And that's completely OK!!! People love to talk about themselves or their job or their industry, so just learn to ask good questions, no matter how complex or basic.

I myself have been in that situation recently - one of my neighbors has found tremendous success in the area of business I am currently in - so I've been able to pick his brain more than once, and because he knows I'm serious and want his help, he's more than willing to answer any question I have. Find people like this, and yes, be prepared to pay them or offer them equity if/when appropriate.