Good tips! Yes, if Ubuntu from the Store is your flavor, then your setup makes huge sense.
I am obsessed with experimenting with methods that can work on a variety of WSL distros. Give it a couple months, and I may be back to your straightforward suggestion. For now, I am really satisfied with my present configuration, though. Time will tell.
You would need some kind of code obfuscation (and then you could sell the license key to unlock the code). Could use something like https://github.com/dashingsoft/pyarmor perhaps.
But, instead of this unwieldy approach, would you consider monetizing with product support, training, etc.?
Sounds like "free" may be even better than cheap, given the small number of people you mention.
For instance, an always-free f1-micro instance from Google Compute Engine would work well.
Or Vercel https://vercel.com/pricing (formerly Zeit, I believe) may also fit your needs, assuming you can adapt your Python where needed.
Another option that might require modest refactoring of the Python: host the site as a static site on Github pages or Netlify. Then make the backend (still in Python) using AWS Lambda or Azure Functions or Google Cloud Functions.
This sort of situation is complex, and painful. Please take care of yourself. If the culture is toxic, this job may not be the right fit.
If you want to stick it out in the hopes that a breakthrough is coming, perhaps you want to set goals or milestones. A time-based milestone could look like "I will give this three more months." A criteria-based one might be "I will continue if I receive some affirmation of my abilities this week." Of course, some combination of time and criteria is in order.
Advice falls short in such scenarios. I really hope you find meaning and growth at work, one way or another.
I am obsessed with experimenting with methods that can work on a variety of WSL distros. Give it a couple months, and I may be back to your straightforward suggestion. For now, I am really satisfied with my present configuration, though. Time will tell.