So Many Hoops To Jump Through!

Since applying for my business license, I have gotten SO MANY documents in the mail. They've presented me with confusing and sometimes seemingly conflicting information.
My main source of confusion right now is the process of hiring and paying employees. I want to hire Annie, Gio, and Philip as employees. However, I'm not certain if I will be able to pay them minimum wage. Before we realized we needed a business license to sell at the farmer's market, we planned on splitting all profits into fifths: a fifth for the business, and a fifth for each of us. Now, I realize that to do this legally, I need to pay each person minimum wage in accordance to how many hours they have worked.
What I don't understand is that there is no protocol for small (tiny, really) business that are just starting up. Starting a farm requires many hours of initial start up labor, and we don't know what our profits are going to be like. I called the department of labor and industries to ask about this, and the man I talked to didn't seem to understand the question. He kept repeating "You must pay all your workers minimum wage. There are no exceptions," and eventually hung up on me.
Either way, I'm going to figure this out. I called the department of labor and industry again and left a message detailing everything from above and asking what my options are.
But no matter what happens, I'm not giving up. I have a greenhouse full of beautiful sprouts outside that will feed an army of people when they are full grown, and more seeds on the way.