Lessons from Saying Yes Before I Felt Ready

While living in Florida, I received a job offer to work for Pepsi in Jamaica.

There was just one problem, I had never worked in a corporate role before. I also never studied marketing in school. More importantly, I didn’t believe I was qualified. When I was called to interview for the role, I was told that several people recommended me for the job. At that time, I hadn’t lived in Jamaica in over 12 years.

But I said yes anyway. I went through the interview process, and I was offered the role of interim Brand Manager for three months, their current brand manager was going on maternity leave.

I told myself, How bad could three months be?

Three months turned into five—and during that short window, I became responsible for all carbonated Pepsi brands, Tropicana, Gatorade, and the water brand portfolio.

I was also tasked with building Pepsi’s largest brand and trade campaign—Pepsi Bubbla—and executing the three largest sponsorships across the portfolio.

I thought the role would be about learning quietly, trying not to mess up and surviving long enough to leave with dignity. In the back of my mind I assumed I would be exposed at any moment.

I committed to give my best effort and be open to learning. What I learned is that competence often reveals itself after courage. I quickly learned that growth doesn’t require permission, learning speed can outperform experience, confidence follows clarity, not the other way around and responsibility stretches you into readiness.

Pepsi Bubbla went on to accelerate sales by over 300%, revitalizing a market-leading brand that had stopped growing.

That experience changed how I understood capability forever. This role activated true enterprise leadership in me:

• Portfolio leadership – managing multiple brands simultaneously

• Trade marketing strategy – aligning brand vision with retail reality

• Commercial storytelling – selling ideas internally before they ever reached consumers

• Execution at scale – campaigns, sponsorships, and cross-functional teams

I learned how to think like a business—not just a brand.

This season shaped how I now coach leaders who doubt their readiness, teach that clarity is built in motion, help organizations unlock stalled growth and remind women that hesitation is not humility.

This role taught me that God often qualifies you after you say yes, not before.

What opportunity are you calling “temporary” simply because you’re afraid of what it might demand of you?