192. Saying Yes to an Opportunity Even If You Aren’t Qualified (as a Podcaster, Creator, or Entrepreneur)

What should you do if you get an opportunity that is sooo big, so incredible, and you know this is going to benefit your career or business goals positively…. But, the problem is: This opportunity is unlike anything you’ve ever done before. In fact, you technically have zero experience related to this opportunity. 

Would it be ok to say yes to this opportunity, and then commit to doing everything within your power to prepare for the opportunity and deliver an excellent job? 

Or would it make sense to graciously thank the other party for thinking of you, but acknowledge that this is something completely out of scope for you and turn down the opportunity.

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Saying yes to an opportunity even if you don’t think you’re qualified

This was precisely the situation I was grappling with recently when I was presented with an opportunity that I didn’t even know was possible for me… On August 20, the founder of The Financial Coconut reached out to me on LinkedIn. 

The Financial Coconut is an award-winning financial literacy platform and the creators of Singapore’s No.1 personal finance podcast – The Financial Coconut Podcast. This is a podcast that I listen to quite regularly, so I am already a fan of the show and the company as a whole

The Financial Coconut founder, Reggie, reached out to me to invite me to be part of a small team of co-hosts at the franchising and licensing Asia trade event. The Franchising and Licensing Asia, otherwise known as FLAsia, is an annual 3-day trade event where business leaders, investors, and entrepreneurs all gather to attend conferences and workshops, and also create potential business opportunities, and make great business contacts. 

What was going to happen is that The Financial Coconut was going to be hosting 8 hours of back-to-back live streams at the 3 day trade event, but realistically, they needed a bit of support from external podcasters or talents to take over some of the hosting. And it turns out I was one of the people they decided to invite. 

And……. When I got the LinkedIn messages, my immediate reaction was “WOW. I’m so excited that they thought of me!!!:

But… naturally, the second thought was “I can’t say yes. It wouldn’t be right for me to say to this opportunity since I have zero experience in franchise businesses.”

In my mind, it would not be right to say yes because I felt like I couldn’t deliver on what they were looking for, I am not qualified, and I have zero knowledge or experience in this sector. Not to mention…. The dates of FLAsia clashed with a trip to Bali that my husband and I had already planned and paid for….. 

But yet…. I could feel that there was something within me that. Really really wanted to say yes to this opportunity. But it made zero sense to me why, because I was so convinced that I’m not qualified for it… but …. The feeling of what if still kept coming up… so, I shared my thoughts with my coach.

My coach straight up said the following to me: 

“What I’m sensing right now is you’re writing yourself off (not saying yes) to new experiences and opportunities when it’s not 100% in your wheelhouse. And then your brain is coming up with reasons to justify saying no.

I’m curious, What would it look like if you were to say yes to this opportunity?”

I gave her question some thought, and responded with:

  • I would ask what Reggie is looking for in a co-host and what level of experience they expect from the cohost – especially since I do not have any mentions of things like SMEs, franchising, or similar related experiences on any of my profiles 
  • I would spend the next few weeks doing research so Im well prepared to hold a conversation and ask the right questions to bring out the nuggets that will be most relevant to the audience and listeners tuning into these live streams 
  • I will focus on being  a cohost who brings out the best in the guests and leveraging my existing skills as a podcaster

My coach then said: So why are you saying no? It seems to be the Universe is giving you exactly what you want.

It was at that point when I realized that my brain was trying to say no NOT because I didn’t want the opportunity, but because my brain was scared I’d not be able to deliver on something that SEEMS to be outside of my existing capabilities – or what I PERCEIVE to be my capability…

But the truth is: Moving forward, any opportunity that I really really want… is going to be outside of anything I’ve done before. And that means that these opportunities WILL stretch me out of my comfort zone. And that also means that these opportunities might lead to feelings of doubt and questioning whether I’m really capable of taking on the said opportunity.

And THAT… is part of the growth. 

As someone who advocates for being a “work in progress” AND being someone who feels like a work in progress but is still willing to step up to the plate and take action…. I realized that This situation requires me to do exactly what I’ve been preaching about 

This means that I need to actually walk the walk, not just talk the talk. Besides talking to my coach, I also shared my thoughts and self-doubts in a group chat with two close friends who are entrepreneurs as well. 

Friend 1 pointed out that both my podcast and The Financial Coconut podcast were shortlisted for the Asia Podcast Awards in the exact same category.

This friend also noted that I literally get paid by my coaching clients to ask them questions and unpack their thoughts and experiences – And more often than not, I do not have direct experience from the industries that my clients are in… But it’s my perspective and ability to pick up on the nuances that allow me to help my clients to clearly express and articulate what’s in their heads. 

This friend also brought up how there were multiple times in the past when I handled curveball situations on the spot, such as being asked unexpected questions when I was speaking on stage. 

The other friend in this group chat asked me what I think makes a good podcast or livestream host. This friend also pointed out that being a good host does not necessarily require me to be in the exact industry as the person I’m talking to. If anything, my position might allow me to approach the conversation with more curiosity and less bias or preconceived notions. 

And with these perspectives from my coach and from my friends in mind… I decided to at least give myself a chance to explore this opportunity. This meant writing back to the Financial Coconut founder, Reggie, to set up a call to explore what exactly he’s looking for and assess whether I’m actually a good fit or not.

And hey, maybe there are options or possibilities that I’m simply not aware of at this point in time… But, I wouldn’t know what the options or possibilities are if I just straight up say no. 

And so, I ended up scheduling a quick virtual call with Reggie to get on the same page in terms of expectations and logistics. From the conversation, I confirmed that they are indeed looking for folks to be co-hosts of the actual livestreams at the 3 day event. And I also confirmed that I didn’t need to commit to being there for all three days – it depends on my availability. I also learned that there is no set script or set list of questions that I must follow. Rather, it’s up to the co-hosts to focus on bringing out the value from the guest panelists so that we can bring the most value to the audience. 

Last but not least, I inquired about whether or not it is required to have strong experience in the franchising and licensing space… because frankly, that was something I lacked at the time Reggie reached out to me. Reggie clarified that industry knowledge isn’t necessarily a requirement so long as the co-host is able to bring out the points from the guest panelists. 

How I interpreted this bit in particular was: I already have the skillsets to deliver on what they’re looking for, BUT, I’m going to do everything within my capacity to equip myself with the relevant knowledge and information so I can really, REALLY deliver on the panels and hold engaging conversations with the guests. 

All in all…. After the conversation with Reggie, I could feel that this was an opportunity that I really, really wanted to say yes to. Yes, this will definitely require me to stretch myself before and during the event and put in more hours than is expected… but this was 100% a challenge I wanted to take on. And… I do believe that it will be a fantastic opportunity in terms of getting more experience under my belt. 

And so, the first lesson I want to share in this episode is this:

If you are presented with an opportunity that you immediately feel unqualified for… BUT, it’s still something you want to potentially say yes to…. 

Please, give yourself at least a fighting chance and EXPLORE what this opportunity could look like if you did say yes to it. Don’t immediately discount yourself and say no. at minimum, explore it further and make an informed decision about whether to take on the opportunity, rather than deciding right off the bat based on your emotions. 

When practical obstacles get in the way of an opportunity you want

Now… so far, it may sound like GREAT! Congrats Cheryl, you just got a really cool opportunity. …. But…. The story doesn’t stop there. 

You see… earlier this year, I had already booked a trip to Bali from September 12 to 15. And my husband later booked the same trip as me, after he was able to sort out some stuff at work. So, we were both set to go to Bali together on September 12-15……. Everything was planned and paid for. I had even booked several dinner reservations for restaurants we wanted to try in Bali…. 

However, FLAsia is happening on September 12, 13, and 14…… this meant that I had to decide not just whether to say yes to cohosting with the Financial Coconut at FLAsia… but I also had to consider this Bali trip, ESPECIALLY because the husband had already taken off leave from work… and, he also booked the cheapest flight options available, which means that changing your flight was NOT permitted by the airline…. 

Needless to say, I felt very, very conflicted. It felt like I was choosing between an opportunity that meant a lot to me, and going on a trip that my husband and I were really looking forward to together…. I… didn’t want to disappoint him by not going forward with this trip ….. especially since he had gone out of his way to join me on this trip…. 

When I shared my concerns with the husband, he said that “this was a short term sacrifice for my career” and that he would “get over it quickly”. And that… means a lot. I am so grateful that my partner didn’t make me feel bad about the situation, and he was supportive of me pursuing what matters to me. 

Now…. We did try to explore all the options available, such as whether he could reschedule his leave from work and whether he could move his flight tickets and accommodations. Ultimately, he could not move his flight or the hotel dates because again…  he had booked the cheapest options and you couldn’t even change the date and pay the price difference. 

In the end, what happened was that the husband went ahead and flew to Bali on the morning of September 12, while I stayed in Singapore to co-host at FLAsia on September 12 and 13. Then, on the 14th, I flew to Bali and we flew back together on the night of the 15th.

So, spoiler alert: I did eventually say yes to the opportunity… we’ll get to that part of the story soon.  

Now… Of course, for a short while, I was definitely feeling upset about the Bali trip. But what was tremendously grounding for me whenever I wanted to throw myself a pity party was asking myself “Ok, Cheryl, WHY are you set on doing this event for the two days you agreed to?” Because realistically, I could have chosen to do just the first day, on the 12th. Or, I could have chosen to not do the event at all. 

But deep down, I know that I wanted the opportunity to stretch myself. One day MIGHT have offered me that, but I wanted to double it. I wanted to meet people not just on one day, but two. I wanted to be on camera not just on one day, but two. I wanted to practice my skills and step out of my comfort zone not just on one day, but two.

At the same time, I also had some thoughts around “What if I don’t do a good job on day 1? In that case, I’d like to learn from day 1 and do an even better job on day 2”. I also wondered whether I needed a second day to warm up to an unfamiliar environment, to warm up to working with the team at the Financial Coconut, to warm up to conversing with people in an industry I’m not familiar with, and to warm up to the actual task I’m invited to do, which is co-hosting the livestreams and interviews. 

And this, to me, is important. Yes, going on vacation with my husband also mattered. But it was abundantly clear to me that my heart and brain are both set on co-hosting at FLAsia for two days. And naturally, I could also see that I was upset not necessarily because I was upset about cutting my Bali trip short… But rather, I was upset about my husband being disappointed with the new itinerary. 

And so, I had to ask myself: Ok, Cheryl, it’s clear what decision you want to make AND you’re fully committed to the decision… So, what do you want to do about the husband potentially being disappointed?  

I did have to ponder on this for a bit, but the conclusion I ultimately arrived at was: 1) I’m going to make it super clear to my husband that I really, REALLY appreciate him for being understanding and supportive… and 2) do such a fantastic job at FLAsia so that my husband can see that this decision and experience was 1000% worth it. 

And so, the second lesson I want to share with you all is this:

More often than not, there will be practical obstacles that seem to get in the way between you and what you want. And I know, that it’s easy to feel helpless when things come up and get in the way. 

But, you still will need to make a decision and do something. But what’s important here is to remember that there is no right or. wrong option. There’s no better or worse option. There’s only a decision that will let you prioritize more of what matters to you. But this will ultimately require you to be honest about what matters most to you right now, and ot make a decision in accordance with that. And then, move forward with this decision and give this decision your full commitment. 

For me, it was clear that I was set on my decision and there was no looking back. It’s time to go full steam ahead and commit to what I’ve just said yes to. 

Filling in your own gaps and being proactive with your learning and development

Now… At this point in this episode, some of you might be thinking: “But, Cheryl… I understand your decision-making process and how you worked around some of the blocks that came up… But realistically… You really did not have experience in franchising or licensing… So how can you be sure about whether you can deliver on these live streams?“

These are very, very valid questions. And these were questions that swirled around in my head even after I had said yes to co-hosting at FLAsia. I definitely felt a lot of insecurity around being inexperienced in this sector, and I also felt overwhelm around what I didn’t know and how it felt like a huge task to learn the foundations from ground zero. 

But honestly… What I realized was:

Yes, the self doubts will be there. But at some point, I’ve got to sit down and get to work. At some point, I can no longer let the anxiety and chatter in my mind keep me from doing the preparations that are required. 

If someone were to ask me “But Cheryl, HOW do you overcome your self-doubt and inner critic during situations like this?”… Honestly. I’m not sure how I can articulate the HOW. In some way, it felt like there was a switch where I instantly switched from overwhelm and self-doubt to actually carving out dedicated time to doing what I needed to do. 

That said, if you were to ask my husband, my close friends or my coach… They would all say that Cheryl was definitely experiencing anxiety and self-doubt throughout the entire process leading up to FLAsia. Because frankly, this opportunity was so out of anything I’ve done before, it was almost inevitable for me to question if I really had what it takes to do a good job. 

But ultimately, there came a point in time where I simply decided to get to work… irrespective of how much anxiety, insecurity, and self-deprecating thoughts I had about myself and whether I was really capable. 

I ended up starting my prep work on August 30, which means I had exactly 13 full days between August 30 to September 11, before the event starts on September 12. That said, I also had a quick trip to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia to attend a radio/podcasting conference on September 2 and 3, so I wasn’t able to spend time preparing for FLAsia on those dates. So realistically, I had exactly 11 days to work with. 

Among those 11 days, I spent exactly 41 hours to prepare before September 12. Specifically, I spent 34 hours studying and learning about franchising and licensing, and I spent another 7 hours resarch about the panelists that I’ll be interviewing, reviewing the briefs that the Financial Coconut team sent me, preparing further, more specific questions beyond what was provided on the briefs, and also making notes in my notebook which I was going to bring into the livestreams. 

Originally, I was scheduled to host 3 panels on Day 1 and 2 panels on Day 2. So, during those 11 days, I was preparing with 5 panels in mind… What actually ended up happening was that the night AFTER Day 1 had finished… so, the evening of September 12… the team reached out and asked if I could step in and host one more panel on Day 2. This was because the original co-host for the 1pm panel on Day 2 had some logistics that made it difficult for him to make it on time for 1pm. And since I was already co-hosting at 2pm and 3pm…. I decided to say yes and help fill in the spot last minute. 

But what this meant was that I ended up spending the entire night on September 12 preparing for a brand new panel, as well as the morning of September 13. So, in the end, I spent an extra 4.5 hours to prep for the new panel and also write down notes in my notebook before 1pm on Day 2. 

So, the grand total number of hours I spent on preparing for the 6 live streams is… 45.5 hours 

Looking back… I really do think I worked extremely hard to prepare for this opportunity. Going into the opportunity, I knew that I would need to work hard in order to feel confident and prepared. This is NOT something I could just show up and play by ear, especially since I lacked the industry knowledge to begin with. 

So, what exactly did I do during this whopping 45.5 hours? Let’s break it down. 

  • 1) Watched past keynotes and panels from FLAsia that I could find on YouTube. I took notes on the type of questions that were asked, the topics discussed, and the key pieces of information that would be important for me to know. I could only find sessions from 2021 and 2022, which meant that the sharings and insights were, to a certain extent, outdated for what would be discussed in 2024 because times have changed since.

  • 2) I listened to past podcast episodes from the Financial Coconut that were related to franchising. There were not many episodes on this topic, but there were a couple. So, I listened and took notes on the questions that were asked as well as the key insights shared.

  • 3) I listened to podcast episodes and watched YouTube videos on topics that I knew would be covered on my panels. For example, I tried zoning in on podcasts or videos that touched on franchising in ASEAN, global expansion to the United States, best marketing practices for franchise businesses, and so on. 

  • 4) I also used Google and ChatGPT to help give me a crash course on what is franchising and licensing. 

  • 5) The weekend before the FLAsia, the TFC team started sending over briefs for the panels. These briefs contained the names of the guests I’ll be interviewing, as well as some general questions that I could reference for the interview. So what I did was I’d research the guests, the companies they work at, the work they do, and also see if there are any past interviews I can find. I also reviewed the questions from the briefs, and came up with more specific questions to add to the list of questions.

  • 6) Finally, the night before Day 1, I decided to prepare some notes in a notebook, and bring the notebook with me to the panels. I initially wasn’t sure if it was “okay” to bring notes to the livestreams/panels…. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized I’d feel the most grounded and confident going into the panels if I had this with me. And even if, at the very last minute, the TFC team asks me to not bring the notebook in, that’s ok with me. But I decided it was important to me to be as prepared as possible. So I hand-wrote all the questions from the briefs into my notebook, and also added the specific questions I’d love to bring up if the opportunity arises and if it makes sense to do so. 

Every day that went by, I felt more and more comfortable with the concepts and topics related to franchising and licensing. In this case, I cannot deny that through taking action, I could see my confidence start to build little by little. 

And interestingly, as I continued to build my “knowledge bank” and was increasing in confidence, I also became more and more aware of how many of the interviews I listened to through podcasts or YouTube were… quite generic. The questions that were typically asked are quite basic in the sense that I could have easily googled the answer, and also, the answers provided weren’t super insightful because I already read about it or studied it during my own research and learning. 

This led me to realize how important it is for me to not just focus on consuming information about franchising and licensing… but also take the time to prepare a few very specific and perhaps challenging questions that I could potentially bring up during the livestreams. The last thing I want is for my panels and livestreams to be so generic that the audience feels like they didn’t learn anything new or got a different perspective from the guest because I hadn’t done a good enough job as the co-host to bring out the juiciest insights from our guests.

So, there was a point in time during the 11 days where I decided to stop consuming information all together, and shifted my focus to coming up with specific questions I could ask bring forward during the panels and livestreams.

Putting all of this together… the third takeaway I want to highlight in this episode is this:

There will be times when self doubt feels so overwhelming. But there’s no other way but to move forward and take action so that you can build not just the skill and knowledge that you need, but also to build the self confidence and self belief that you can do this. 

This also means that you can be experiencing anxiety and constantly questioning whether you are really cut out fo this.. BUT, despite the constant chatter in your head, you can still be taking step after step forward. Whether it’s building a skill or acquiring knowledge or anything else in between that you’re working on… You can continue to take action steps forward even with self doubt and anxiety around your capabilities. 

Remember: You DO have the agency to choose to move forward and hone in on your skills, fill in your knowledge or skill gaps, and ultimately be proactive with your learning and development. I really, really believe this.

Continuing the conversation on episode 193…

I hope that my example here with FLAsia is able to serve as an encouragement for you to stay committed to who you’re becoming and what you’re building towards.

Now, the story doesn’t end here. In the next episode after this one, I’ll be sharing with you what went down at FLAsia, how I did, and what I learned about myself and what my own gaps and areas of growth are moving forward. So, let’s continue the conversation in the next episode. 

For now, let’s summarize the key takeaways from the conversation so far: 

  1. If you are presented with an opportuntiy that you immediately feel unqualified for… BUT, it’s still something you want to potentially say yes to…. Please, give yourself at least a fighting chance and EXPLORE what this opportunity could look like if you did say yes to it.

  1. More often than not, there will be practical obstacles that seem to get in the way between you and what you want. And I know, that it’s easy to feel helpless when things come up and get in the way. But, you still will need to make a decision and do something.At this moments it time, you will need to be honest about what matters most to you right now, and to make a decision in accordance with that. And then, move forward with this decision and give this decision your full commitment. 

  1. Last but not least… There will be times when self doubt feels so overwhelming. But remember: you can be experiencing anxiety and constantly questioning whether you are really cut out fo this.. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, you can still be taking steps forward towards your goals and vision.

Alright. That’s all for us for this episode. We’ll continue where we left of in the next one – So with that , thank you so much as always for listening to the podcast, and I’ll see you all in the next one.

Sounds good? Awesome. Let’s get to work. 

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Additional Resources

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Other Episodes You’ll Enjoy

Episode 193. Stretching Your Capacity and Creating More Opportunities (as a Podcaster, Creator, or Entrepreneur)

Episode 182. Learning as an Adult, Committing to Your Professional & Personal Growth, and Being More Interesting

Asian Podcasters: Thinking Bigger and Stepping it Up

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