Request for advice on using WordPress for business model

I am freelancer who currently writes for several online writing sites, and as a person with an entrepreneurial spirit that has owned a brick and mortar franchise in recent years, (closed now) I have the desire to begin my own online content marketing site.
I am not savvy on website building or open source CMS, however, I have scoured the internet, learning what I could, and I have asked questions from others about first steps and how-to information. Of course, as with any online business, there are always those who are willing to give bits and pieces, but like anything in life you have to work at it until you break through and find what you truly need.

Here’s a bit of background about me:
– former programmer in 70s and 80s that stepped out of IT to raise a family.
– former franchise (restaurant) owner
– worked as administrative assistant in a data migration project for a large corporation transitioning away from the parent corporation to a become a stand-alone company.
– have several blogs on blogger and wordpress.com
– work on the internet 10 – 12 hours per day – generally, writing online content and updating blogs, etc.

I would like to know if –
1) A site such as http://mediapiston.com looks like it was built with WordPress from those of you are knowledgeable about such and whether you think WordPress could be used to develop a site such as Media Piston (to create my own).
2) Do you have any advice on first steps to begin? I believe that if someone can point me in a good direction, I can take off with a site.

I understand a lot of basics, but I am just not pulling enough together to wrap my head around a beginning, especially since I have come through a nightmare of attempting to recover from a franchise business in the past. This leaves me leery of investing time and money in futile directions.
As someone who has had lots of money and lost it all, I just keeping seeking answers.
If anyone has some solid advice, I’d appreciate hearing about it and know you ultimately would receive blessings from sharing it with a person who is open and grateful.

To your successes
Sungate ~