We’ve been sold a myth about entrepreneurial success: sharpen your skills, tighten your systems, hustle harder. But after years of working with independent professionals across industries, I’ve noticed that the highest performers share something that rarely makes the productivity lists: they’ve intentionally built communities of colleagues, clients, and partners who expand how they think, create, and deliver impact.

Community isn’t a “nice to have” for the self-employed. It’s strategic infrastructure. And this is especially important for solopreneurs, entrepreneurs who work primarily solo.

The stakes are higher than most solopreneurs realize. According to research from Leapers, a UK-based organization studying self-employment and mental........

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