Don't start off looking for partners.

Try a few consulting calls to frame the overall IT strategy. Talk to people with nothing to sell you; that's important. Figure out what work needs doing, what skill sets are needed, how long things should take, how much they should cost, etc. Get more than 1 opinion.

Then try your own hand at things. Doing some of the setup yourself – even if you fail – will give you enough of an introduction to the topic to be able to communicate with team members better later on. Just a bit of vocabulary and some sense of their pain points will go a long way. You'll know what to ask for and what to listen to.

Before you hire anybody on a permanent basis, hire various people for small component jobs. Based on what they're able to deliver and the rapport between you, you can gradually hire them for more work.

If you go straight for goal of having "the right technical people", you might settle too early on and wind up dependent on someone who really isn't a good fit. However, you won't have worked with enough technical people to be able to tell.

Sounds like dating advice, doesn't it?