REgards the Carroza Factions, when you start investing on them you get two steeps of increment per each filled bar it´s a not too shabby investment. You get 30$ daily per 20 Rifles (a bit less in the first steeps, when you can use swords), and 20 workshop-produced rifles can account, depending of your settings, the cost of raw materials and this and that, 1800 pp X 4-5$ of profit each to something between 7200$ to 9000$. Not too bad, you get your investment back in 240-300 days.
But then, there are a point when filling the bar gives only one standing point (¿at 20, I believe?). then it starts to be less interesting. And when 20 rifles it´s not enough, I usually stop.