There Is No Such Thing As Self Made
dailyblog.scottdclary.com
Hi All,
Here’s my daily newsletter navigating the crossroads of business, growth, and life.
If you love this content (please share it), but also…
Start here > https://stan.store/scottdclary
Check out my Podcast, connect with me on YouTube / Twitter, and read my Weekly newsletter.
Sponsor: FreshBooks
The numbers speak for themselves - over 30 million people have chosen FreshBooks, processing more than $60 billion in invoices and saving an incredible 192 hours annually on accounting tasks. As an all-in-one accounting solution, FreshBooks helps entrepreneurs and freelancers create professional estimates, track time, automatically bill clients, and capture expenses on the go - all while integrating seamlessly with over 100 business tools and providing award-winning customer service.
Ready to stop drowning in receipts and chasing payments? Start your 30-day free trial at freshbooks.com - no credit card required.
Plus, if you act before January 7th, get an exclusive Success Story listener offer of 75% off your first three months at freshbooks.com/pricing-offer.
Transform Your Business with FreshBooks
The Lonely Hero Trap
Self made, is a lie.
Every entrepreneur dreams of being the next Elon Musk or Steve Jobs.
We paint these legends as lone wolves who clawed their way to the top through sheer willpower and genius. The media loves a good underdog story of the brilliant founder who did it all alone.
But that story is killing your growth.
The self-made myth seduces us because it feeds our ego. It tells us we don't need anyone else. That asking for help is weakness. That true greatness comes from isolation and independence.
Look closer at any massive success and you'll see the truth. Elon had investors who believed in Tesla when everyone else laughed. Jobs had Wozniak's engineering brilliance. Gates had his mother's IBM connections.
The "lone wolf" narrative is comfortable because it gives us an excuse. When we believe success is a solo mission, we don't have to face the scary reality of putting ourselves out there. Of being vulnerable. Of admitting we need others.
But success leaves clues. Behind every breakthrough product is a team that helped refine it. Behind every viral post is a community that amplified it. Behind every major innovation is a network that supported it.
The greatest paradox of success is that those who try to do it alone take the longest path. They reinvent wheels that others already solved. They make mistakes others already learned from. They miss opportunities that only come through connection.
Yet most entrepreneurs still try to climb the mountain alone. They think asking for help shows weakness. They believe they need to have it all figured out before reaching out.
This approach doesn't just slow your growth. It guarantees you'll hit a ceiling.
The good news? Once you embrace the reality that success is inherently collaborative, everything changes. Your progress accelerates. Your opportunities multiply. Your impact expands.
But first, you need to understand who actually writes your success story...
Your Success Has Many Authors
Take a hard look at any major success story.
Not the polished TED talk version. Not the highlight reel on Instagram. The raw truth of how it actually happened.
What you'll find is a web of relationships that made it all possible. The early employee who worked below market rate because they believed in the vision. The advisor who made a crucial introduction at the perfect moment. The competitor who pushed you to innovate when you got comfortable.
Even the tough moments that seemed like setbacks were authored by others. That client who fired you and forced you to fix your delivery. That investor who said no and made you tighten up your business model. That critic who pointed out the flaws you were blind to.
Success is a team sport whether you treat it like one or not.
What's wild is how this plays out in unexpected ways. The random coffee chat that leads to your biggest client. The LinkedIn comment that sparks a game-changing partnership. The casual conversation at a conference that opens an entirely new market.
But here's what most miss: These "lucky breaks" aren't random at all. They're the natural result of being connected to others who are climbing similar mountains.
The real skill isn't building something great alone. It's building something great through others.
This isn't just about having a team. It's about recognizing that your growth is intimately tied to the growth of those around you. When they win, your odds of winning go up. When they learn, your learning accelerates.
Think of it like compound interest for relationships. Every meaningful connection creates possibilities that wouldn't exist otherwise. Those possibilities create more connections. Those connections create more possibilities.
But this only works if you know how to tap into it...
The Pillars of Collective Growth
You can't force meaningful connections. But you can create the conditions for them to thrive.
Start with finding your tribe. Not just any group, but people who share your trajectory. Who understand your struggles because they're facing them too. Who celebrate your wins because they know what it took to get there.
This isn't about social media followers or LinkedIn connections. It's about building real relationships with people who are serious about growth.
The key is value exchange. Not the superficial "let me pick your brain" requests that flood successful people's inboxes. But genuine opportunities to help each other climb.
Sometimes this means sharing resources. Sometimes it's making introductions. Sometimes it's just being there to brainstorm when someone hits a wall.
True builders understand this instinctively. They know their success depends on helping others succeed. They look for ways to add value before asking for anything in return.
The magic happens when you start actively celebrating others' wins. Not just with a like or comment, but with genuine excitement and support. This creates a reinforcing loop where success breeds more success.
The higher you climb, the more crucial this becomes. Your challenges get more complex. Your decisions carry more weight. Your need for trusted perspectives grows*.
But your ability to give value grows too. Your network expands. Your experience becomes valuable to others. Your wins create opportunities you can share.
The key is staying active on both sides of the equation...
Building Your Support System
Most people get this backwards.
They wait to build relationships until they need something. They hold back from reaching out until they feel "successful enough." They treat networking like a transaction instead of a garden that needs constant tending.
The truth is, your support system needs to be built before you need it.
Watch how the best players do it. They don't just connect - they create value consistently. They share insights from their journey. They make introductions without being asked. They show up when others are struggling.
Think of it like this: Every person you meet is fighting their own battles. They have their own goals. Their own challenges. Their own dreams.
Your job isn't to get something from them. It's to understand where they're trying to go and help them get there.
When you approach relationships this way, something interesting happens. The right doors start opening. The right opportunities appear. The right people show up at the right time.
But there's an art to this. You can't fake genuine interest. You can't manufacture real connection. You have to actually care about the success of others.
The best relationships are built on shared growth. Where both sides push each other to be better. Where competition turns into collaboration. Where challenges become shared missions.
This isn't just theory. It's how real breakthroughs happen.
The Higher Climb Paradox
Now why is this important?
Because something strange happens as you grow.
The higher you climb, the more support you need. Not less.
Most people think success means becoming more independent. That once they "make it" they won't need others as much.
The reality is exactly opposite.
Bigger opportunities bring bigger challenges. More complex decisions. Higher stakes. Greater pressure.
You need more perspectives, not fewer. More collaboration, not less. More support, not less.
Think about the top performers in any field. They don't have smaller teams - they have bigger ones. They don't have fewer mentors - they have more experienced ones. They don't have less support - they have deeper support.
The paradox is that true independence comes through strong relationships.
When you have the right support system, you can take bigger risks. You can move faster. You can recover quicker when things go wrong.
But you have to actively maintain these relationships as you grow. Success can be isolating if you let it be. It's easy to get caught up in your own world and forget the power of connection.
The key is staying grounded in the truth: No one does it alone. No one.
The Real Path Forward
This isn't just motivational fluff.
Success leaves breadcrumbs. And every breadcrumb points to the same truth: Growth happens through others.
But knowing this isn't enough. You have to act on it.
Start by taking inventory. Who are the five people you learn from most? Who pushes you to be better? Who celebrates your wins like their own?
If you're drawing blanks, that's your first signal.
The quality of your network directly impacts the speed of your growth. Not in followers or connections, but in real relationships with people who are serious about building.
Here's what this looks like in practice:
Join communities where your kind of people hang out. Not to pitch or promote, but to learn and contribute. Share what's working. Share what isn't. Be the person you wish you had when you were starting.
Find ways to help without expecting anything back. Make introductions. Share resources. Offer feedback. The returns come naturally when you focus on giving first.
Build relationships before you need them. The worst time to network is when you're desperate. The best time is now, when you can focus on creating value for others.
Remember this truth: The next level of your success is locked behind relationships you haven't built yet.
Your biggest breakthrough might come from someone you haven't met. Your next mentor might be in a community you haven't joined. Your future partner might be at an event you're thinking about skipping.
The path forward is clear. Stop trying to be self-made. Start building real relationships. Start showing up for others. Start creating value before you need anything in return.
Because in the end, your success story will be written by many hands. The only question is whether you'll embrace this truth or keep fighting it.
The choice is yours.
But the evidence is clear: No one does it alone.
And the ones who try take the longest path to the top.
– Scott