Ever year in April/May, we see several women from across India converging to Bengaluru.  This is for the Summer Special @ IIMB; i.e. the MPWE. The participants are a mix of entrepreneurs, wannabe entrepreneurs as well as some persons who are curious about entrepreneurship and are undecided about what they would like to do. Entrepreneurship is a great way for women to develop their potential as business leaders and for them to make a difference to themselves, their family and friends and the world at large.

MPWE is doing its bit for entrepreneurship, slowly but surely, not just in the city of Bengaluru, but across the world, with many alumni scattered across the globe. There is so much variety in the businesses run and managed by these alumni. Their projects are in different industries and also vary in terms of size and reach. The industries include inter-alia manufacturing concerns and social ventures, IT product and service companies, consulting firms, restaurants, designer and styling firms, architecture and interior design firms, adventure camps, martial arts centres, art and culture centres, education institutes, online ventures, publications… and many more.

Over the years, MPWE has gained considerable goodwill among entrepreneur circles. Alumni of MPWE as well as other IIM alumni have initiated scholarships to enable deserving women to participate in the program. Details of the program, the scholarships and the program application form are available at http://www.nsrcel.org .

We look forward to see many of these alumni making a name for themselves and their companies in the years to come. This book is our attempt to showcase some of these heartwarming stories.

Ganesh N Prabhu and Anjana Vivek
Program Directors, MPWE @ IIMB”

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.

Apart from being complimented by workshops, the website provides education on various topics in Business study. Or e.g., assessing oneself on leadership skills, a sample financial business model, tips on effective appraisals and interviewing, finance for CEOs, attracting funding, making a business plan, effective strategizing etc.

The site also publishes articles about any events which aim to encourage entrepreneurship. One such article is by Anjana Vivek about the Management Programme For Women Entrepreneurs (MPWE), held on April 15^th, 2009 at IIMB, Bangaluru. This year saw ,more than 130 women members, from India and outside the country, be enthusiastic participants. They were a mix of entrepreneurs, aspiring entrepreneurs, those curious about entrepreneurship and some other who were still undecided.

The sessions at MPWE, included workshops, seminars and several networking events as well. The goal was to emphasise that women entrepreneurs take a different career path than those of men. This is out of choice or due to necessity. The participants interacted with other entrepreneurs and MPWE alumni and listened to their entrepreneurial journey, asked questions about their decision to embark on such a journey , the joys and challenges they faced , the roadblocks they encountered in business, especially in the ongoing recession and how they overcame them.

Or more information, please contact Prof. Ganesh Prabhu ( Course Director), at gprabhu at IIMB.ERNET dot IN or call him at 0-984-417-5078.