A book by a friend of mine
Take My Advice, I'm Not Using It.
My Life Lessons and the Mistakes I've Made
by Rob Lancit
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The story
One all the way.
My first time in New York, and the night Rob Lancit embarrassed me beyond belief.
It was my first time ever in New York. I was there for work, a trade show for Stratus.
Rob Lancit lived in the New York area for a long time, over in New Jersey. When he found out it was my first time in the city, he dropped everything. He took me to dinner in Times Square, and then we went to Junior's for cheesecake.
We are standing in line and he asks me what I want. I say New York cheesecake with strawberries. That's it.
Rob says"You say, 'One all the way.'"
He is setting me up to get in trouble, like the soup guy on Seinfeld, only with cheesecake. "All the way" is how you order a hot dog in New York. It means mustard, onion, chili.
So I get to the counter and say it to the young woman behind it.
Me, with confidence"I'll take one all the way."
She looks more than confused.
Her"Um, sir, what do you want?"
I look back and see Rob dying laughing.
The business lesson
When people misunderstand what you do, they do not ask. They move on.
The trade show was the other half of that trip. I spent the first minute explaining that we do not build franchise stores, we clean them. Their first question: so what do you do, build our restaurant? So frustrating.
I wrote about what that cost, and what fixed it, in the piece on brand positioning.
Rob is a great man.
Rob Lancit and me, in the places I have pictures of.
What the book is.
“Take My Advice, I'm Not Using It is not a how to manual, and it does not pretend to be one.”
From the book's own description
The description goes on to call it “a collection of real stories, hard lessons, bad decisions, second chances, and the kind of moments that shape a life whether you are ready for them or not.”
The subtitle says the rest: My Life Lessons and the Mistakes I've Made. It is 144 pages, which the ebook listing puts at two to three hours of reading.
I have not read the book yet. I bought it today. When I have read it, I will say what I think of it on this page.
The facts.
- Full title
- Take My Advice, I'm Not Using It: My Life Lessons and the Mistakes I've Made
- Author
- Rob Lancit
- Released
- September 12, 2026
- Publisher
- BookBaby
- Length
- 144 pages
- Formats
- Paperback, Kindle, EPUB
- Paperback ISBN
- 9798317840372
- Ebook ISBN
- 9798317840389
Facts read from the Amazon and Kobo listings on October 11, 2026.
Make sure you get the right one.
Other books carry almost the same title. This page is about Rob Lancit's, the one with the subtitle My Life Lessons and the Mistakes I've Made, published in September 2026.
- Rod Halsted, Take My Advice, I'm Not Using It!: a memoir published in Australia in 2025.
- Julie Monks, Take My Advice: I'm not using it: a humor book published in 2025.
- Elizabeth Bernstein, Take My Advice (I'm Not Using It): a book about relationships by a newspaper columnist.
Quick answers.
Who wrote Take My Advice, I'm Not Using It?
Rob Lancit wrote Take My Advice, I'm Not Using It: My Life Lessons and the Mistakes I've Made. It was published by BookBaby on September 12, 2026.
When was Take My Advice, I'm Not Using It by Rob Lancit released?
Rob Lancit's Take My Advice, I'm Not Using It was released on September 12, 2026, in paperback and as an ebook.
Is Take My Advice, I'm Not Using It a how-to book?
No. The book's own description says it is not a how to manual and does not pretend to be one. It describes itself as a collection of real stories, hard lessons, bad decisions and second chances.
Where can I buy Take My Advice, I'm Not Using It by Rob Lancit?
Rob Lancit's Take My Advice, I'm Not Using It is sold on Amazon in paperback and Kindle editions, and as an EPUB ebook on Kobo. The paperback ISBN is 9798317840372.
Are there other books called Take My Advice, I'm Not Using It?
Yes. Rod Halsted published a memoir with nearly the same title in Australia in 2025, Julie Monks published a humor book called Take My Advice: I'm not using it in 2025, and Elizabeth Bernstein wrote a relationship book called Take My Advice (I'm Not Using It). Rob Lancit's book carries the subtitle My Life Lessons and the Mistakes I've Made and came out in September 2026.
Take his advice. He is not using it.
Get the book on Amazon →As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.