Rashmi Bansal at Oxford Bookstore in Bhubaneswar. Picture by Sanjib Mukherjee

Bhubaneswar, July 30: Bookworms got more than just autographs of writer Rashmi Bansal when they queued up at Oxford Bookstore last week.

Bansal obliged her fans not only by signing copies of her new book, but also offered some sage advice.

The entrepreneur and writer was on a two-day visit to the city to talk about her latest book Follow Every Rainbow based on businesswomen. Her four previous books are also on the same subject but feature stories of entrepreneurs from various walks of life.

“Girls in our country grow up with a list of dos and don’ts. Even those with excellent academic performance sacrifice their career for family needs. This causes a huge dearth in human resources. This book tells the tales about the tribulations and triumphs of some women who choose not to take the beaten path,” said the 42-year-old mother of one.

Although a writer since her college days, she does not mind being called an author “by accident”. Her debut self-help book — Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish — has already sold more than four lakh copies. Part of an in-house research project, the overwhelming response to her first book took even Rashmi by surprise and since then there has been no looking back.

“I took up the project just for the fun of it. I have never liked conventional books written by professors in which stories are treated as case studies. My approach was that readers should be able to connect with what I had written. Very few people are fortunate to garner such response for their first book,” said the IIM-A alumnus.

She herself holds an MBA, but tells her readers that the degree is not mandatory to start a business venture. On Friday, she deliberated on this topic at Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar (XIMB).

“At least 10 per cent students from any B-school have the desire and capability to start something on their own. Remember, there is nothing called permanent success,” the Mumbai-based author told future corporate employees.

She said ideas kept hovering in her mind for upcoming projects. While her next book would be on small-time entrepreneurs, she is also researching on student and NRI innovators.

“I love writing about entrepreneurship but that does not mean I cannot write on any other subject. I would, in fact, love to write the script of a soap opera or a film screenplay,” said the author, who is also very fond of travelling.