Protect the Brand Called You
You have to respect your efforts and the product you create. I've turned down a lot of opportunities. Someone wanted to create a diet program out of the book, and I said, "No, it's not a diet book. It's a lifestyle thing." It's not the image I want to project. Some TV producers asked me to do a cooking show, and I said no. They said, "Are you stupid?" I said, "I'm not a chef. I'm a home cook. I don't want to be perceived as a chef." They said, "We'll train you." And I said, "But it's not me." They were speechless.