Aesir you can get as a full vassal in less than a month and can pump it up to 3000 or more income in 2 or 3 months. Same with Fort Sera. The bandits can be good eventually but they take a huge investment to get them to 100 standing and they give you absolutely nothing until that point so they're not a good choice to dump your workshop production into initially.
Early game I would focus on the higher ROI investments like Aimees, the Orphanage, your first workshop, Roos, Waltons, and the Wrool Cat Wranglers. Completing Caitlyn's quest is also a good early option since it's pretty cheap to max out her Clinic when you finish her quest and it provides good income.