Actually, people want a living wage.

Yes, they want to be able to go to work, and earn enough to live.

When I was young, it was possible for someone to graduate from high school, go to work in a factory, buy a house, support a family including a stay-at-home wife, and retire debt-free.

Now two full-time incomes won't give you that.

(As someone with training in economics, I particularly love it that you don't consider money paying off your business loan some sort of income, when you end up owning that business at the end!)

What you're saying is this: "My business plan is so terrible that I can't even pay people a living wage." You should get out of the business, then, and let competent, ethical people take over.