I've never gotten sponsorship per se (kits, entries, travel). A little when in school, but the process for applying for money was such a pain we only did it for big events. I got 3 free jerseys in 5 years from my current team (but the annual dues during that time would have paid for about 1-1/2 of them). Some discounts on parts but nothing unique, meaning other people could get the same price breaks in other ways.
I like working with teammates. It's a two way street for me, I get help, I try to help. A lot of guys, teammates or not (but friends in some way, all of them), offer to help me during a race, stuff like chasing, bridging, or even leading out. I've had guys on other teams, but close friends with me, work for me for entire races.
At the same time I'll not chase friends (teammates or not), depending on the situation (meaning almost never). I like working for other riders but I'm not strong enough to do much. In situations where I can help I've worked entire races for non-teammate friends. I can help most effectively (I think) by offering a fresh Podium Ice full of ice water that will stay ice cold for the next hour in 95 degree temps, spare wheels or even my bike, etc. In one race my bike won (under a different rider) and my spare front wheel (under another wheel) got second. That was kind of cool.
For me bike racing is like playing music or playing games. It's fun doing it on your own but it's much more fun when you can orchestrate things with others.
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"...during the Lance years, being fit became the No. 1 thing. Totally the only thing. It’s a big part of what we do, but fitness is not the only thing. There’s skills, there’s tactics … there’s all kinds of stuff..." Tim Johnson