Business Is a People Game: Here’s How to Play It Bigger

In this episode of The Raquel Show, I’m diving into one of the most underrated yet powerful drivers of growth in business and life: relationships. You don’t go to events just to get inspired—you go to get connected. The rooms you step into, the people you meet, and the relationships you nurture can literally become the bridge to your next level.

I share five powerful lessons I’ve learned about why relationships matter in business and why events should be a non-negotiable part of your growth plan. From stories of betrayal and unexpected apologies to the game-changing connections that opened doors to new opportunities, I reveal why proximity is power—and how to choose the right rooms that collapse time and fuel your future.

✨ Things I Cover in This Episode:

• Why business is ultimately a people game—not just systems, leads, or tools
• How events can accelerate your success faster than months of doing it alone
• Why proximity is power and who you build with matters most
• How to reframe events as investments, not expenses
• Tactical steps to maximize the connections you make at events

🎧 Tune in and ask yourself: What’s the room I need to be in right now? Because the truth is—you can’t play bigger in isolation.

👉 Ready to surround yourself with high-level entrepreneurs and a community that pushes you forward? Head over to letsplaybigger.com or send me a DM to learn about our upcoming events and programs.

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Thank you for joining me on this episode of The Raquel Show, and remember, keep pushing your limits to achieve your goals.

For updates and collaborations or opportunities, go to www.LetsPlayBigger.com

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Chapters

• 1:35 Systems vs. People: What Really Drives Growth
• 2:05 Returning to the Bay: Connections That Last 15+ Years
• 2:32 When Relationships Break: Lessons From Betrayal
• 3:54 The Real Ones Who Show Up for You
• 4:24 Every Breakthrough Tied to People, Not Marketing
• 5:19 The Mistake of Treating Relationships as Afterthoughts
• 5:46 Five Lessons About Why Relationships Matter
• 6:46 Tactical #1: Audit Your Calendar for Connection
• 7:16 Tactical #2: Choose the Right Rooms
• 7:45 Tactical #3: Show Up Prepared + Follow Up
• 8:13 The Reframe: Events as Bridges to Your Next Level
• 8:40 Invitation to PlayBigger Coaching & Events

Transcript

You don't go to events just to get inspired. You go to events to get connected and you expand your circles and those connections, they can be the bridge to your next level. The relationships you build today will become your referrals, the collaborations, the partnerships, the friendships that fuel your future because the truth is you cannot play bigger in isolation. You play bigger by getting in the right rooms or rubbing elbows with the right people. 

Welcome back to The Raquel Show. This is a show for entrepreneurs who want to play bigger in business and in life. And if you've ever felt like you were doing business alone, if you've ever thought growth is only about marketing, it's only about leads systems and the next AI tool, then this episode is going to hit home. Today I want to talk about something that doesn't get enough credit in business and that's relationships. 

Systems and strategies are important, but the biggest growth moments in my life and in my business, they've always come down to people and especially being in the right rooms and at the right time. So in this episode, I want to share five things I've learned about why relationships matter in business and why events should be a non-negotiable part of your growth plan. This summer reminded me again and again of the power of relationships, especially coming back from the Bay Area. 

Many of you know that that's home for me. I have a ton of family there. I was born there, raised in the bay, and I did real estate out there for eight years prior to moving to Arizona. This trip, I got to attend a good friend of mine, Patty's event, as well as host our Playbigger Workshop and Content Day. And what I realized as I ran into people is that I have known some of these people in over 15 years. And I'll tell you what, the industry is really small, especially when you know a lot of people. A few years ago, I had a coaching relationship that ended so abrupt. It was like canceling a button on a Netflix show. 

Years of pouring into them and helping them grow to be one of the top brokerages at their company, attending special life events like weddings, baby showers, you name it. 

It was way more than just coaching calls. We had built friendships, we had built relationships, and I thought until I had experienced that, of being accused of taking their agents to a current brokerage with all assumption, there was never a conversation about it, and they did it on a phone call, I'll tell you, I was so shocked. 

The way it was handled on that phone call, which I thought was going to be a coaching call, by the way, I was so blindsided, was by far one of the worst that I have experienced in this industry. And now looking back, I'm so grateful it happened. You know why? Like at the time it hurt, but it showed me the fake side of people. And it showed me who the real ones were with no hidden agenda. 

And I finally got an apology from my last trip, but I'll tell you, it was one of those awkward moments because years had gone by and years had passed. And I know all the things even beyond that incidents, even the small chatter that was being said, because every time that something got said, somebody would always speak up for me. So on moments where they were talking crap or they were lying, there was someone always in my corner that had my back and knew I wouldn't do that. And so I'm so grateful that over two decades of being in this industry, have friends and people that I respect that will stick up for me in rooms that I'm not in. On another note, I know that every major breakthrough in my career from scaling teams to launching Play Bigger coaching to building investment partnerships, all of this came because of people. 

Not cold leads, not marketing, not random ideas, people, introductions, referrals, conversations in the hallways at events. I can point back to the moments where being in the right room changed the trajectory of my business and in my life. And yet so many entrepreneurs, so many real estate agents treat relationships like it's an afterthought. 

They say, they want to grow, their calendar is filled with only task and not people. That's a mistake. So the five things I want to share is 

• number one is business is a people game. Every opportunity flows through another person, not a logo, not a system. 
• Number two is events collapse time. One weekend in the right room can save you six months of trying to figure it out all on your own. 
• Number three is Proximity is power. You can't step into your next level if you're not surrounded by people who are comfortable playing small or playing average or playing safe. 
• And number four is who you build with matters. At some point you can build anything. The real question is who are you building it with? We already know you're talented. We already know you can do things on your own, but if you really want to play bigger, It comes down to who are you building it with? 
• And number five is events are not expenses, they're investments. The right room will give you the ROI for years to come in relationships, in referrals and collaboration. 

So I always want to give you guys some tacticals, you know that. And so I want to ask you is number one is audit your calendar, how many events or intentional connection points are on it this next four months. I'll tell you a lot of the people I coach get super intentional about the events they go to. 

Number two is pick your rooms wisely. Don't just go anywhere. Choose events that align with your vision and your values. Sometimes I think when I talk to people, they're in the wrong rooms. They think that it's proximity is power, but they come back feeling deflated or they're so behind that might not be the right room for you.

And then number three is show up prepared. Know who you want to meet, know how you can add value. Also extend the conversation after the high and get in the DMS and then follow up like it matters. Don't just collect contacts and build relationships or just don't take photos and then not extend the conversation is really follow up with people. How are you doing? How's business? How can I support you? And then make events non-negotiable.

Plan them into your business growth strategy. So I want to reframe it. You don't go to events just to get inspired. You go to events to get connected and you expand your circles and those connections, they can be the bridge to your next level. The relationships you build today will become your referrals, the collaborations, the partnerships, the friendships that fuel your future because the truth is you cannot play bigger in isolation. You play bigger by getting in the right rooms or rubbing elbows with the right people. So before we wrap up today, ask yourself, what's the room I need to be in? And am I willing to invest in relationships the way I invest in strategy? And if you're looking for a community and events where you can grow your business and your life with people who are committed to playing bigger,

That's exactly what we've created within our Play Bigger Coaching and in our programs. So head over to letsplaybigger.com or shoot me a DM. And we've got several things going on, such as our agent CEO accelerator program, which I'm so excited for until next time. I want to say thank you so much for listening to another quick episode. Keep raising your standards, keep building relationships, and don't forget to keep Playing Bigger, my friends.