This is the kind of founder story that rarely gets told on HN but probably represents the majority of successful bootstrapped companies. Going undercover as a technician to understand the actual workflow is exactly the right move -- you cannot build good software for a domain you do not deeply understand.

The insight about companies being less willing to offer ride-alongs resonates. I have noticed the same thing in other verticals. Taking the job yourself is the cheat code that most developers are too proud to use.