Book Release: Inspiring Women to Start Innovative Enterprises

Editor’s Note:
Sria Majumdar has interacted with nine women entrepreneurs from the Management Program for Women Entrepreneurs at IIM Bangalore and compiled an inspiring book titled ‘Inspiring Women to Start Innovative Enterprises’  that talks about their stories. This is Sria’s  story ,in her own words, narrating what went behind making this book.
The book is available at Pothi.com

“When you want something, the entire universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”

-Paulo Coelho

In my case, the universe acted via Prof. Ganesh N. Prabhu. When I approached him asking for an internship, I feared that he might reject my request as I was inexperienced and was only an undergraduate student. Life has given me much more than I could ask for. Rendezvous with some of the finest women entrepreneurs, flexibility in working time and place, exploring Bangalore with friends and the pleasure of enjoying work! The internship was like a dream come true, and the book…well let’s just say that the feeling is yet to sink in.

Being an engineering undergraduate, I was a complete novice in the field of entrepreneurship (and still am!) and writing this book would have been impossible without the help of Prof. Prabhu and Prof. Anjana Vivek at every step.

This book brings to light, the lives of a few women who decided to take the plunge and venture deep into starting innovative enterprises. Be it a social enterprise or a commercial one, each case touches all aspects of the business as well as the personal lives of the women who created them. Meeting these women was akin to taking a virtual journey through their lives; empathizing with their hardships in setting up their own business and reveling in their joys.

During my stay at IIM Bangalore, I personally met six of these women. I distinctly remember getting cold feet before my first interview, and Babita putting me completely at ease with her charismatic smile. While Jyoti helped me craft a gift (pun intended) for my parent’s silver anniversary, Mukta offered me a visit to the radio station where she was jockeying part time. I consider myself very fortunate to visit the beautiful Active Canvas centre at Jayanagar, Bangalore which is one of its kind. The diversity and innovation in the business modules of these women made it a very enriching experience for me. This book has already helped Swayam in receiving orders from Babita during the Fashion Week, and I hope it helps many more women entrepreneurs in taking their business to new heights. Networking, after all, is an indispensible part of any business and I hope this book helps women entrepreneurs with the same.

My stay here-writing till early hours of the morning, this campus and the people I have met here- have taught me more than I can probably ever understand. I am a more patient and confident individual who knows that listening can be more important than speaking at times and a dream is more important than reality.

I hope to continue writing throughout my life, and I hope reading the book is as pleasurable as writing it was for me.

Tags: entrepreneur, iimb, innovative enterprises, inspiring women, sria majumdar