On top of all that, most companies start out violating all sorts of laws and get away with it here in the US.

Example: a friend of mine makes artisanal chocolates. When he started out he didn't have a licensed kitchen, any kind of food/health license, or sales tax collection. Nobody cared. Why? Because he got compliant before his company grew enough to be on anyone's radar.

Here in the US you can launch first and worry about legal compliance later.*

*Not for all industries or all definitions of "later".