That's the part of bureaucracy that I've really come to hate... I had an English business with orders from all over continental Europe, a German passport and residence, and employees from Belarus, Sudan and Macedonia. Can YOU imagine how many authorities have given me endless paperwork...?
I can only try to imagine... Bureaucracy can be awful in so many ways, no matter the country. I’m sorry that you’re talking about your business in the past tense.
Oh, I'm still self-employed and freelance, but I don't have any employees anymore. Because we worked all over Europe, we were effectively shut down during the coronavirus pandemic. So much has changed in my life since then that I wouldn't be able to travel as much anymore – I'm simply doing different things in a different way now.
Yes, the pandemic turned many people’s lives upside down. I get the feeling that you might miss the way your work was structured before that period. Around that time I had just started working on a project that had been a dream of mine, and when things finally began moving forward, it all slowly but steadily faded away during the pandemic. Anyway, we live in the present and move on.