Lawyer full employment strategies and all that. 

I can come up with 10k cash (willing to pull from my after-tax contributions to my Roth IRA) and I can take about another $50K from a backdoor IRA rollover from my prior employer's 401(k), but I'd rather not do that.

If not, it is worth exploring an S-Corp, which would partially shield you from some self employment taxes while also providing a greater base of wages to take a 199A deduction. 199A might go away in 2026, so maybe don't make any radical moves just for the next 2 years unless the tax savings will be substantial. 

Would he/she need to “employ” us, so to speak? 

The Austin metro is sitting at super low unemployment rates 3.7% even as the metro is growing daily as the employment force expands rapidly.

In March 2024, 1,197 closed sales paint a picture of urbanity intertwined with coastal allure.

Now, that's not just a statistic; it's a testament to the enduring allure of Miami living.With 24.2% of purchases made in cash, it's evident that confidence in Miami's real estate market runs deep.The median time to contract and sale has quickened its pace, creating a symphony of efficiency that sellers can't help but dance to.Challenges emerge like ripples in the ocean.

It's all under the same banner and controlled by one company.They have the ability to negotiate with the City of Cle Elum, WA, as they are probably its biggest employer.

This is correct--save that an ethics violation can cause an agent to lose it's license and a brokerage to risk the same for employing that agent.

Hell, the Fed employs 100+ researchers and 400 PHD economists.They are usually wrong about both: where inflation will be, and what their own interest rates (Fed Funds rate) will be.