heidiminx - founder of BUILT ON RESPECT

Built on Respect has been a mantra for alt-culture personality heidiminx for years. It graced the hang tags of her fashion line, Franky & Minx, and continues to be her driving mission, "Treating people with respect, and sewing the seeds of fairness creates solidarity"



It was with this attitude that Minx did volunteer work in Haiti, and more recently, twice this past year in Dharamsala, India.

On her first visit, Minx volunteered in two communities; she helped oversee the development of an online store that taught computer and English skills to her rural students, which ultimately saved the school from closing. In addition, she worked in the Tibetan community, teaching English to refugees at the Hope Center, a fledgling community organization.

Upon her return to the US, Minx began to explore charitable initiatives. The human rights violations she heard from her students spurned a desire to return, and to leverage and share her business contacts, her award-winning marketing skills, her DIY approach, and the support of her influential musician friends to gain awareness. Built on Respect has a fiscal sponsor for its 501 (c3) status.

On her second trip, Minx worked solely within the Tibetan community for three months. She continued to support the Hope Center, working with board members on marketing and sustainability. She also worked with Jamtse in Action, a fledgling group that supports the elders at the Jampaling elders home and The Institute for Tibetan Thangka Art; a free school that keeps traditional Tibetan art alive. In addition, she worked with two local artists to help develop their non-profits, met frequently with NGOs to discuss marketing and development, and also sponsored English classes for the monks of Ganden Monastery, all while teaching English and participating in conversation classes.

In addition, Minx worked to educate youth worldwide. She secured interviews with HH the 17th Karmapa, the head of Students for A Free Tibet, the director of the Federation for a Democratic China, the president of the Tibetan National Women’s Association, , and also took footage of the political and social events occurring in the village at that time. Her continuing theme in these interviews was youth in action.


It is Minx's goal to embrace the DIY mentality, and to personally work to raise funds, and also to directly oversee their disbursement while documenting it, working side by side with different community organizations.

"The violation of any person’s human rights should not and can not be tolerated in this day and age. The fact that our friend Heidi is taking on the injustices that have and are being done to the Tibetan people on a DIY level should be commended and supported. Sick of it All believes in taking any kind of action on such issues. We fully endorse and support Heidi and her "Built on Respect" movement... so help out in anyway you can."
– Pete Koller, Sick of it All

"I was so flattered that a cool punk rock chick like Heidi Minx asked to interview me – even though I don’t have any tattoos! Heidi believes in engaged Buddhism as connecting the dots, getting people together, building networks and most of all, making things happen. She’s fun and warm but she’s dead serious too – whether it’s ensuring accurate translation of the Karmapa’s words on Youtube, reaching out beyond the Tibet world for new audiences with a passion that shines or raising dollars for the Tibetan community in exile. Heidi gets it that often what makes the most difference is working with individuals, one person at a time, whether that entails listening to someone's story, teaching a monk English, helping former prisoners to develop their own projects or blogs (and then following up) with those actions built on respect....it's rare, but that's the dynamic Ms Minx...."
Kate Saunders, International Campaign for Tibet


"Human rights and respect for our fellow man are extremely important. It's the standards we have to live our lives by. I Scream Records is therefore a strong supporter of the Built On Respect Project."
- Laurens Kusters, President, I Scream Records

"Heidi Minx has worked with Black N Blue since its inception. She has always been passionate about BNB, and we recognize her passion for Built on Respect. Heidi is setting out to do things that many people only talk about; that coupled with the importance of helping people do for themselves has earned BNB's seal of approval. We will be supporting this for a long time to come."
- Freddy Cricien, Black N Blue Productions

"I met Heidi Minx through Pete Koller from Sick Of It All. She's not only experienced and intelligent, but what resonates most about her is that her heart is completely in the right place and she has resolved herself to making the world a better place. Having been involved in the Tibetan Freedom Concerts and done work over this past summer with Students For A Free Tibet, Heidi and I have the same basic interest in doing our share to uphold human rights in places where they are not taken for granted. Built On Respect is Heidi's vehicle to put what's in her heart into action."
Perry Serpa, GoodCop PR

"Built on respect is the mantra Franky & Minx and Punk Rock Domestics founder, heidiminx, used to build her company - which she continues to use every day. It stems equally from the streets and Dharma.

Be responsible in your decisions. Be responsible for your decisions. Be responsible in your actions, hold only yourself accountable for your actions. Look out for others more than yourself. Never think what something or someone can do for you, but what you can do for them.

Conviction, compassion and patience can propel you forward slowly; anger can destroy everything quickly.

Question everything to see if it is just.

In short, learn the rules, learn how to break them, inspire others to follow."

These words first appeared on a little-known website I built over a year ago, www.builtonrespect.com. I never did anything to let anyone know about that site, but it was done more for someone who was inquisitive; see, I had insisted that every hang tag and piece of packaging for the F&M line feature that phrase. So basically, if some one REALLY wanted to know about me or the line -- that philosophy was out there if they looked for it.

That brings us to the present. As I noted in another area in this profile, I've already spent four of the past 10 months in India doing volunteer work. It has had a profound impact, I was so unaware how easy it is to help others. I don't speak 10 languages, I don't have any trade skills - like carpentry or farming, but it doesn't matter. My ability to adapt, observe, problem solve, and communicate have sufficed, and I am able to teach English and computers, and initiate sustainable programs.

Similar to the feeling I had when I started Franky & Minx, or PRD, my 'light bulb' went off again, I needed to develop this further.

Since my return to NYC, I've been talking to a lot of friends, surprisingly, people are calling from out of the blue, and thankfully, every one seems interested in what is developing.

It took a call from my father, and to my accountant, to help me to decide to start my own non-profit. I would much rather oversee funds where I can promise I am watching them in action, and hopefully in most cases, administer them in person.

Using Built on Respect actually came to me, in (of all places) the Sick of it All and Rancid backstage at Irving Plaza. After talking to several band members (and being positively received!), I was asked to send them the details of the project.

I started to think what the name would be - one that is identified with me already, that is literally a mission statement for my work, and for the skills I want to teach. I toyed with phrases that inspire me, Noah Levine's 'Against the Stream' which embodies the similarity of punk rock and Dharma, and Joe Strummers' similar belief, 'In fact, punk rock means EXEMPLARY MANNERS TO YOUR FELLOW HUMAN BEING.' I looked around, and noticed a hang tag from one of my F&M wrist bands on the counter -- and there it was: Built on Respect.

In the past few months, I have had great support from John Joseph/Cro-Mags/Bloodclot, Zoli/Ignite, Tim/VOD/Blood Simple, Joe and Freddy/Madball from Black N Blue Productions, Pennywise, CH3, Street Dogs, Bouncing Souls and so many more. I need to give special thanks to Pete and Mei Ling Koller, for helping get me in touch with so many of their friends, and supporting this project.

Peace...

heidiminx