Synopsis

The Promise

To capture the hearts and minds of readers by telling the author’s fascinating and compelling story of overcoming tremendous odds. From an orphan in the former Soviet Union to a budding entrepreneur in the United States, the book promises readers a harrowing account of one man’s unlikely path through adversity. Focusing on his journey from childhood in the former Soviet Union to being an entrepreneur with a growing clothing brand in the United States, the author recalls the tremendous adversity he faced, as well as the many lessons and insights he gained along the way. Readers will learn not only important lessons on overcoming challenges, but also be enthralled by the author’s experiences along the way. Readers will come away from the book hopeful and excited about their own ability to overcome adversity.

Author/Book Goal

To inspire readers and to show them that any kind of adversity can be overcome. While there are tragic elements to the author’s story, the goal is to never elicit sympathy from the reader. Rather, the goal is to present a book that tells the author’s story while motivating readers and showing them that whatever challenges they face, they can be overcome. In crafting a work that tells a compelling story and provides practical advice, the goal is to position the author as an expert, reinforce his brand messaging, and ultimately help readers by sharing these invaluable lessons and insights. Readers should be entertained, but also derive valuable knowledge and insights

Outline

Part 1: A Hard Knock Life

The first three chapters of the book focus on the author’s time in Russia, and the early adversity he faced in life.

Introduction – To the Readers

In the introductory chapter, the author will share some general information with readers, including the goals of the book and his reasons for writing. In addition, the chapter admonishes readers to not feel sympathy for the author, despite the hardships he endured. In the coming chapters, several stories and anecdotes are told which paint a tragic picture of the author’s upbringing. The goal in sharing this information is not to evoke sympathy, but to help readers understand that even the worst situations can be overcome. In addition, the introduction will include a brief section dedicating the work to the author’s adopted father, a man who was inspiring and integral to the author’s success.

Chapter 1 – In the Beginning

Chapter one focuses on the author’s time as a small child in the Soviet Union, including his relationship with his mother. After being cut with a razor while trying to stop his mother’s suicide attempt, the author began a very hard life on the streets. This goal of this chapter is to provide the reader with all of the information needed to understand the nature of the situation at the time. Some of the material will be difficult for some readers, as it involves the harrowing account of a child. Presenting as honest an account as possible, however, is important for helping to ensure that readers understand the author’s perspective and past experiences. Readers should come away from the first chapter with a strong understanding of the difficult nature of the author’s early situation.

Chapter 2 – Life on the Street

In chapter two, the focus is on the author’s time living on the street, from roughly four and-a-half until roughly eight years old. The author will detail his struggle to survive and eat, at a time when most kids in the west are enjoying safe and sheltered home lives. The goal here is to share information with readers on what life was actually like for the author at the time. Readers should be able to imagine the author as a child and get an idea of some of his experiences and how unusual his childhood years were. Readers should come away from this chapter with a clear idea of how rough this period was for the author, as well as the fact that the author was entirely on his own, struggling to survive on the street.

Chapter 3 – The Orphanage

The focus of chapter three is the author’s time in an orphanage after having lived on the street. This chapter will discuss how the author came to live in the orphanage after being picked up by the police, as well as what life was life in the facility. This chapter aims to provide readers with a first-hand account of what life was like for the author as a young boy. In the process, readers will learn about some of the strategies employed by the author to survive under these difficult conditions, as well as to remain hopeful for the future.

Part 2: Overcoming Adversity

In this section, the focus is on the author’s journey from Russia to America.

Chapter 4 – Into the Unknown

In chapter four, the reader learns of the author’s adoption and his new father adopting two of his friends. This chapter follows the three boys and their new father from Moscow to New York City, their destination prior to travelling to Atlanta. The focus of this chapter is on the adoption itself, the journey to New York, and how the author and his young friends coped with the change. Readers should come away from this chapter understanding the sacrifices made by the boys’ new father, as well as how difficult and scary the journey must have been for the young boys.

Chapter 5 – Culture Shock

Chapter five continues the story of the trip to America, focusing primarily on the incredible culture shock that was experienced by the author and his new brothers. The goal here is to tell the story of how challenging the transition was, while entertaining readers and keeping them engaged in the story. The readers will be treated to a detailed description of the author’s time in New York, as well as learning how to speak English after arriving in Atlanta. Readers should come away from this chapter with a much better understanding of how difficult the transition was, both for the boys themselves, as well as their new father. Insights into these experiences can be particularly helpful for readers currently experiencing similar challenges.

Chapter 6 – A Steep Learning Curve

In chapter six, the focus is on the boys transition to school, as well as the other challenges involved in acclimating to their new environment. This chapter also follows the boys as they progressed to college, and includes the story of the author’s brother dying of a heart aneurism. This is one of the most challenging times that the author had to overcome in his journey and after arriving in the US. The goal of this chapter is to discuss broadly how the author worked to overcome the many different challenges involved in getting settled and pursuing education in his new country. At the same time, by discussing the death of his brother, readers will learn the nature of some of the types of adversity experienced by the author during his journey toward success.

Part 3: The American Dream

In the book’s third part, the focus is on both how the author has started to achieve success, as well as his plans for the future.

Chapter 7 – Working to Heal

In this chapter, the author discusses his grieving over the death of his brother, as well as his time seeing a counselor. The goal of this chapter is to share with readers the experience of feeling mired in grief and adversity after being settled in the US. The author will share his journey from feeling like he was at rock bottom, to feeling like he finally understood his calling. The focus of this chapter is on how the author felt at the time, as well as how he transitioned from a feeling of helplessness to understanding his calling and feeling motivated for the future.

Chapter 8 – My Calling

In chapter eight, the author discusses creating Execlife, as well as the meaning behind the brand and his motivations for starting the project. Readers will be treated to a frank discussion by the author of his thought process in creating the brand, what he hoped to accomplish, as well as the challenges that he encountered along the way. The author will share his successes and failures, as well as some of the surprises he encountered in getting his business up and running. The goal here is to connect the author’s current work with the brand with his life story, and ultimately show why the brand is representative of the story itself. Readers should come away from this chapter with an understanding of not only the author’s current success, but also how his choice to start the lifestyle brand is a reflection of his experiences in overcoming adversity.

Chapter 9 – Toward the Future

Because the author is still a young man, the focus of chapter nine is on the author’s current position, as well as his hopes for the future. Included here is a discussion of personal and professional goals, as well as how the author aims to leverage past experiences and learning to accomplish future goals. The point of this chapter is to remind the readers that the author’s story is still a work in progress. The goal here is to show the readers that despite experiencing tremendous adversity, the author has aggressively pursued his goals and crated an authentic and meaningful life. Readers should come away from this chapter feeling excited for the author’s future as well as their own. In addition, readers should learn specific details of some of the goals the author hopes to accomplish in the future.

Conclusion – Empower Yourself

The closing chapter aims to conclude the story by delivering an empowering message to readers. Readers should come away from the story feeling more empowered to address their own forms of adversity, as well as how to take lessons from the author’s experience.

Audience

Any reader interested in an inspiring story of how someone could overcome tremendous odds and become successful in a new life will care about this story. The book will appeal primarily to adults, including young adults, as it promises a interesting and inspiring story about overcoming tremendous odds to achieve success. The primary age group being targeted is adults and specifically parents. Parents will be able to relate to some of the aspects of the story most as the story involves young children surviving in spite of difficult odds. Readers who have already achieved success in their own lives will also care about the book as the work promises a fresh perspective on overcoming unique odds. Because the work aims to focus on how the author overcame adversity, using a fresh perspective, many different readers will care, regardless of whether they are personally facing adversity, or if they are simply looking for unique insights.

Promotion

Andrew will be promoting his book on his various social networks, on his website, through his personal network, and with media appearances.

Competition

not relevant