The Fallacy of Self-Made

The idea that a company or person is 'self-made' is a fallacy. The most successful individuals rely on others to help them along. Whether it's a network of suppliers or mentors, it's all connected.?

Let's address a common misconception: the notion of a 'self-made millionaire' or 'self-made success' is a fallacy. It's a phrase thrown around, but in reality, it's a misrepresentation. The truth is success is often a result of external support and collaboration. In fact, there's never been a single self-made person in history. It's time we acknowledge the role of external support in achieving success.?

Let's delve into the significance of this phrase and why it's so prevalent.?

As humans, we're wired to tell stories. It's how we communicate and sell, and it's deeply ingrained in our evolutionary process. We tell stories to pass on survival skills to our offspring, ensuring the continuity of our species.?

Stories have allowed us to evolve as human beings, generate new ideas, innovate, and generate technology and everything we consider essential.?

The caveman leader told his sons and daughters stories about killing the mammoth and surviving the ordeal. Our earliest ancestors also told stories of survival and taught skills for specific situations. As time went on, each subsequent generation had additional lessons to tell.?

As humanity has moved forward, one person has never become successful solely on their own effort and merit. It’s a fantasy tale. Even the so-called ‘self-made’ will tell you that they didn’t do it alone.?

So, where does the self-made millionaire story come from? Where does the idea that a person makes it on their own and builds an empire of business or a nonprofit organization without assistance from anyone else come from? If you Google the term, you will find many entries, stories, or posts about how to be a self-made success.?

One post lists seventeen things you need to do to be self-made. There are books, companies, and self-help gurus who will tell you how to do it. Some suggestions include finding already successful people who people can emulate or copy. Another thing that amuses me is that you should "employ people to do the things you don't want to do."

Isn't that relying on other people? Is that breaking the rules of "self-madedness?" Isn't copying other people's success or emulating them also a technical breach of the doctrine of ‘self-made’ to some extent??

In a community I worked in, there was a business that provided food and supplies to restaurants. About twenty trucks went out every day across the region, delivering food and supplies to restaurants and other food companies. When you walk into their business, you will see articles about how this "mom-and-pop" business got started and how, year after year, they slowly and surely built it into the million-dollar business it is today.?

I give them credit. They are hard-working people who employ many workers and contribute to the region's general business success.?

When one walked into their warehouse on any given day, a sign in the window said, "We built this business without the Government's help."

Now, I know what they meant or were trying to convey. This sign was their way of indicating that they took no government handouts, grants, or tax breaks and were not participants in what someone might call "corporate welfare."?

Okay, good for them. However, their accountant might argue about the tax breaks part of that idea. Furthermore, how did they get all those foodstuffs to the marketplace? Did they magically float those trucks to make those deliveries??

We all know the answer. The company drove its trucks on those government-funded roads in front of its warehouse. That government-sponsored fire company across the street from them surely would be happy to put out a fire if they had one, and the Sheriff was always there when its security alarm went off, even if it was a false alarm.?

Surely, they received help—not only from the government but also from the multitude of people who paid for those roads so that they could make millions of dollars in sales each year.?

That sign always irritated me because, as many of your readers know, businesses, small or large, flourish in this country because we have procedures, processes, and rules that govern what you can and cannot do. There are laws that prevent the theft of ideas and products, and there are ways to remedy injury and claims. The business that claims that it did it without anyone's help is in error.?

I will tell you from experience that I know many small business owners and founders who have worked extremely hard to achieve the success they are today. They have worked extremely hard, very hard, and long hours to the point of exhaustion.?

It may feel like they have done it themselves, but in order to get to where they are today, someone had to lay the water and sewer pipe to their business so they could have fresh water.?

Someone had to plow the road in Winter so they could get to work that day.?

Someone had to work for three days straight to fix the power lines after the storm blew through so that you could get up and running again.?

But it’s not just the government that helped them in their success.

Someone built that computer, the furnace, the water cooler, the printer, the copier, the furniture packaging machine, the multi-spindle machining center, the punch press, support beams holding up your roof, the asphalt in your parking lot, the paper your ineffective brochure is printed on, the ink… everything.?

And all of those companies relied on the infrastructure and numerous companies that supplied their success.?

Yes, your success is due to your hard work. But an entire ecosystem supports every move and decision you make and will make as you grow your business. Never think for a second that it's only due to your effort.?

Back to the self-made success person. Need I say more? The idea that anyone can be self-made in any endeavor is simply click-bait for the internet. Your entire existence is based on the fact that we are social animals designed to perpetuate our species, and that goes for business as well.?

If you aim for greater success, remember that networks and relationships are critical. Rely on others, create associations and foster connections. These relationships will fuel your business growth and prosperity.?

Next time you see or hear of a self-made business, orgainzation, or business, remember the tremendous system and environment that made that company successful.?

We are all connected.?