Great Tech cite here. But this forum is fuckin comedy gold...
I run my own business. I do nicely. My work is in demand.
I have succeeded on my own initiative. I've worked to develop relationships. I've practiced what I do to get good at it. I've taken every opportunity to stretch myself in a new direction, within reason.
That being said, of course I've benefitted from "somebody else"- which really means "everybody else." I've benefitted from the work of the government, the work of other businesspeople, the work of scholars, the work of taxpayers--to the extent you can separate all of them.
--Without the internet, my business would collapse. Immediately. Thank you, those prople who invented the internet. Thank you, those colleges and universities, many of them public, that provided funding and space for the work that needed to happen to make the internet a reality. Thank you, governments and taxpayers which have made it a priority to keep the internet up and running. Without you, I wouldn't be here.
--Without a consistent power supply, I wouldnt be in business. At all. Thank you to the power companies who build and maintain power stations, to the government officials who funded large projects designed to expand the power grid, to the peaceful interactions in the USA that allow my state to get power from other states as needed and vice versa, to the scientists who developed ways of generating power other than whale oil and candle wax, to the linemen and women who clear the tree branches off the lines after storms. Without you, I wouldn't be here.
--Without roads, I wouldn't be in business. This would take a little while to squeeze me out, since I'm so dependent on the internet these days, but when I order supplies that come via UPS or FedEx, guess what, they use the highways and the streets of my city. Not to mention that eventually I'd get hungry, and the supermarkets wouldn't have much food for sale without trucking, and I'd have difficulty getting it all home if I had to lug it through the brambles. Thank you to the departments of transportation who plow the snow, repair the roads, fix the bridges, and built the highways to begin with. Thank you to the people decades back who decided that a good road system would be good for business. Thank you to the taxpayers who fund this not inconsiderable expense. I doubt very many small business owners could afford their own road system. Without you, I wouldn't be here.
--Without an education, I'd be nowhere. I did a lot to educate myself. I worked hard in school, got into a "good" college; I had parents who valued education. But I also learned a lot from fellow students, and I learned a great deal from many (though by no means all) teachers. Not only that, my business relies on having customers who are educated themselves. Without an education, they wouldn't be able to hire me/sell me goods/support me in the myriad of details that go along with running a business. Thank you to the teachers who taught me and everybody else, to the municipalities and other governments that decided education was worth supporting, thank you to the people who produced books, videos, offered me and everyone else educational experiences. Without you, I wouldn't be here.
--Without a dedicated military, a strong police force, a corps of firefighters, things would be very different. I can devote my time to work rather than to policing my property or worrying about foreign invaders. I can rest easy knowing that I live in a country that's taken on these roles for me, allowing me to concentrate on my business. It's hard for me to see how anybody lives in a country that doesn't provide these services, let alone runs a business. Thank you to the fighting men and women and the government agencies that train them and pay them. Thank you to the taxpayers who support police forces and fire departments. Thank you to the people who way back when decided that these were legitimate functions of government. Without you, I wouldn't be here.
So, in answer to the question, yes. I MADE IT HAPPEN, but Somebody else made it happen. A whole lot of somebody elses made it happen too. But it would be silly to think I could have done it "all on my own." And if you doubt it, ask yourself: How easy would it be for me to start my business all over again in Somalia?