and then yet another object fell on the toilet and cracked the tank.

There are plenty of shiny objects out there and it will be difficult not to chase all of them if you don't have 1 area of focus.That said, continue to soak up all the info now and then start to narrow it down after you're informed of the pros/cons of each.

My main objective is I know the property is distressed, but is the owner distressed or even alive. 

I have been noting any objections and questions/comments that stump me, and coming up with responses to them.

It is used as a SHINY OBJECT that is going to catch the attention of a buyer.So when buying, as many have said here, the amount of money a company is making is well down the list (if on the list at all) behind much more important factors like the length of time a company has been in business, the verifiable data on a company including the work they do, the processes they go through and most importantly whether or not the person you are speaking with actually owns all pieces of the process.  

That is probably the objective you should focus on now, getting your phone to ring. 

On the flip side a commercial buyers broker can look at the market objectively and say these are the best deals in the marketplace TODAY.    

I would be open to doing retail sales although that is not my primary objective.  

The object will be to get people over to the site, and allow your site to do all the work from there. 

With a long term objective of passing down a billion dollar real estate portfolio to my grandchildren.