Ground floor business

I'll try and condense this into a short explanation of what I do and how yesterday blew out like a tyre on a bed of nails...

I manage and faciliate the production of an item for a client. I source and order raw materials, communicate concepts, liaise with manufacturer, build relationships and problem solve until we end up with the final product which I then pack and ship to the client.

From July to October we developed and produced 3 products, no mean feat given that these have never been made or developed by anyone ever before.

So yesterday when I opened my emails and see a flurry of correspondence through the night from my client I wonder what the hell is going on.

The first couple I open are fine, just updating me on bills outstanding, what spreadsheet the client would prefer for accounting, etc etc.

The next one is the doozy. It starts off by telling me not to freak.....so I immediately feel a stone in my stomach. He wants to think about moving operations to another city, closer to him.....why? Because he thinks things could get tricky with a new section he wants developed and will need to be close by. Just to make it crystal clear what this means:

* Taking our business away from our current manufacturer who has developed the files, problem-solved, pushed through instant requests based on the whim of my client (i.e client rings and asks for 3 of a particular product by Tuesday, its Friday, each product takes a day on the machine....)and generally shown a huge amount of goodwill and patience.
* I am no longer involved in any aspect of this production as I live in the same city as the manufacturer, which was the whole point really, that I could supervise on a daily basis and not have to involve the client in day to day issues.

His rationale is that he will need to problem solve the next step and will need to have it closer to him, a four hour round trip to be exact.

I call bullshit. When I ring and ask how and why he came to these conclusions he says it was just an idea. Unfortunately an 'idea' doesn't have all the steps in place, it questions and debates, discusses and weighs up the pros and cons. An "idea" doesn't have the kids in the car with the motor running. I tell him that if there were issues with the people we were using then that should be the starting point rather than up and leaving. He says he's worried about production, I say have you asked the manufacturer if this is a problem? No, but he 'thinks' it will be. And I feel my anger start to rise......because I am experiencing two things. Excuses which have no basis and denial that he wants to try someone else. He tells me that he has the right to take his file elsewhere as he owns it. Quite correct I tell him, but he will burn the manufacturer and the bridge if he does. He tells me its a business decision and that they should be ok with it?????
Basically I lose my wig and tell him that I won't be delivering that news having developed a close working relationship with them and the fact the we had worked solidly to problem solve and deliver what the client wanted. Cutting and running isn't my style when there is no apparent issue or basis for it.
I tell him that style of business doesn't work for me.

I also tell him that this decision comes from a place of dissatisfaction, because you don't fix what ain't broke and that he is naieve to think he will have the time to manage this process elswhere, given the amount of time it has taken me (and I'm "on to it") it will be all the things that he didn't want (constant correspondence, phone calls, emails). As I write this, it becomes crystal clear that this is exactly what I need to let him do, so that he has a comparison and reference point. I'll never find out whether it was or not, because we won't be working together beyond today.

Words written down make so much more sense to me. I'm hurt, I'm hurt that he doesn't recognise our value and has discarded us like an old toy. No longer useful in his grand design. Do I want to work with someone that behaves in such a way? No, I just wrote him an email about our impasse and that we need to tidy things up and pack down. Merry Christmas to me......

I also valued my relationship with him, which makes it all so bittersweet. Enjoyed the challenge, the development of some beautiful things, the debates and the thrill of seeing something WE had made on an international stage.

So long, farewell, Auf wiedersehen, adieu......