When you work independently—as an entrepreneur, freelancer, or creator—in the early days, you actually could become more dependent on the people you know.

For example, you could rely on the people already in your network to help you come across new opportunities, support you emotionally and hold you accountable, and tell their network about your work. Some of them may be your first customers. You’ll also need to meet new people to discover new paths that can take you where you want to go. As Richard Wiseman describes these people, they are your “network of luck.”

If you’ve never tried this working arrangement, this will surprise you. The rhetoric around entrepreneurship is focused on not independence and controlling your destiny—not being dependent on one entity (your employer), avoiding layoffs, not being tied to colleagues, etc. Indeed, you will be betting on yourself, but you’re also betting on your network. You’ll be asking for help (possibly in new ways).

My friend and collaborator Rachel Jepsen describes this dynamic as interdependence, which I think is a much more realistic perspective. 

Self-made is just a perception that’s more sensational and fits in with the centuries-old myth of self-creation. There’s no such thing.

There is a reason every entrepreneur and CEO thanks their team first. Even if you haven’t officially hired anyone, you do have a team—the people that you know. You need them, and they need you. (Even if they don’t know it yet.)