If business owners, taxi owners, hotel owners and others who claim to be working for themselves need to depend on customers and customer satisfaction for profit, that is to be able to get money from them, are they really working for themselves?
As long as you don't give account to anyone, you start your business when you like and close when you want means that you are working for yourself. It is impossible for you not to depend on your customers for profits because who will patronize you and that's why you need to be polite and honest to your customers in order for you to progress.
Just imagine yourself running your own tailoring shop, nobody can tell you what to do or not, you have the final say.
You are not working under anyone or depend on anyone to get paid.