Issue link: http://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/131975
businesstalks The butterfly effect Since founding her ethical and social investment company, Forming Circles, Renata Cooper has passionately launched ideas, supported dreams and changed the way people do business, writes Simone Henderson-Smart. Described by her peers as a woman who works tirelessly, has a huge heart and is passionate about changing people's lives and the way they do business, Renata Cooper is one of those rare entrepreneurs who defines her own success by the achievements of those she enables. The idea for her business, Forming Circles, came after Renata and her husband lost a small fortune in the stock market crash of 2010, which wiped out billions of dollars worldwide in a week. Renata's husband was somewhat philosophical about the loss, saying, "You win some, you lose some," she recalls. "But I thought that if a small portion of what's lost in the markets is provided to people and projects that need it, we can make a positive difference and change lives. "The bottom line is the same, except with my option there are many happy and inspired people who I help to move forward. Hopefully, with the butterfly effect, they will help others just like I did and together we will make the world a better place for everyone." The name of her company, Forming Circles, reflects the theory of the butterfly effect that inspires Renata. For her, the idea of networking is not merely a way for her to personally get ahead, but also a way of connecting with like-minded people who will go on to help others. She hopes that when directly helping one person, the knock-on effect will create everincreasing circles of people helping one another, so one simple, generous act can indirectly produce positive change for thousands. In just over a year Renata has given $300,000 to a variety of projects to help them blossom and grow. She has also invested another $60,000 in the short film A Cautionary Tail, getting involved with its talented team through a Kickstarter campaign. Renata considers this a true way of doing business in the 21st century. Astonishingly, this money doesn't come from sponsors, but from Renata herself. "We are not a charity," she explains, "Forming Circles is a registered company and I'm an investor. The only sponsorship we got last year was for the Written Portraits project and that was $2,000. That was all I received last year. "All of the other funding comes from our private investments – I'm a market trader – so we are basically investing our private wealth. I try to stop counting when I get to about $200,000 because I just have to keep going – the message is more important than the money." Renata prefers the term 'investing' rather than 'giving' or 'donating' as she usually requires some effort on the part of the recipients to learn and grow. She is trying to educate them to build a better, more socially conscious business and offers financial incentive to the best achiever. In return, Renata gets nothing more than the enormous satisfaction of helping people out and spreading joy in the community. Her favourite moment in the past year was the launch of Written Portraits: Portraits Written in Words, an anthology of short stories written by Australian teenagers, which grew "Renata prefers the term 'investing' rather than 'giving' or 'donating' as she usually requires some effort on the part of the recipients to learn and grow." 74