As a property manager for retail strip centers on NNN (triple net) leases, I think commercial is a great way to go. Yes, it is very different from residential and the price of admission is higher. NNN leases are more complicated but are designed for getting the landlord a "net" profit. Management is supposed to be less intensive than residential because of the NNN but each property is different. The learning curve is steep, but you learned residential, right? No problem. Just read all the leases carefully, yes, all 60 or 149 pages! Then hire a competent commercial property manager, designations can certainly help (CSM, CPM). Other than the obvious, tell your manager to look out for liabilities (trip and fall, ADA stuff, etc.), you don't want to get sued. You should also hire a leasing broker. Since you're starting out, you should pay these guys to learn how to do it right them then do it yourself, if you want.
The commercial landlords I know who went from residential to commercial never looked back. I think the obvious two keys are location, location, location and having reserves (oops, that was four keys). Maybe you can pick up a shopping center for dirt cheap out in the middle of the desert but you're tenants will probably have a hard time making money and you'll have vacancies. That's when you'll need reserves to carry you through vacant periods and if you need any major upgrades (parking lot, roof, main line sewer problems).
What's different about commercial is it could be in a rough part of town but as long as it's on a busy retail area, the property can do fine. You might have to clean up graffiti every day but it could be a cash cow.
