“......Still, city regulators were unsympathetic.”
Having been a small business owner in the past WE at the ranch have the experience as recipients of the Leftist “City Regulators” attitude towards the business community. If you own your own business, no matter the extent of your success, no matter the cash flow, no matter ANYTHING other than YOU are designated the “owner”, therefore YOU ARE RICH, therefore your bank account is fair game. They will tax, fine, assess, a business before that business can even make a single dollars profit if they can.
It’s all about revenue under the guise of for the city, the county, for the Fire, Police, Teachers.
The Leftists in government are a criminal enterprise for the purpose of stealing from the productive to skim under the guise of government legitimacy what they may for themselves.
Bloodsuckers.
A nice lady at the banking institution I use advised me to keep my business balance low (less than 6 figures)--I do. Stay under the radar as much as possible.