Buying parts, coordinating schedules, negotiating with shipping companies, dealing with backorders, production problems, employee issues, running forklifts in to fire sprinklers, etc is not sexy. If I didn't do it, all of the other stuff wouldn't happen. Even with all the frustrations it is very fulfilling.
I used to "work in publishing."
Actually, although the company did fine-art prints and stuff, what I was involved with was birthday cards, christmas cards and children's books. But still, it was
publishing, and people would beat a path to our door begging for jobs, because they were desperate to "work in publishing." Although they all had in mind a dim hope that it might start there, and end up in some real-literature publishing house.
Yes, the commodity was nice. Yes, printing ink smells good and the technology is interesting. Yes, it even involved afternoons out visiting galleries looking for new pics, but what I could never get aspirants to believe was, bottom line, it's an
office job. Paperwork, records, orders, invoices, admin. Just like washing machines, except pictures. That's not sexy either.
Actually, I might have enjoyed a job in a company making washing machines!
I'm in Knoxville, we are starting to catch up with you, Fanatic just went into production (Marty Vellas brewery from Calhoun's fame), we have a really nice beer garden about to open. Wish we had a Flying Saucer. We have to meet up next time there is a can jam there. Hoping my brother will be back from the sand pit by the next one (he lives there when he's not directing air traffic in the 'stan), free room (on the floor, but still). I'm hoping to drag bigro with me on the next one, we were both unable to make it to the last one.
