Support if you love Kinzie

Friends,

Kinzie is in need of our financial support.

Outstanding rent is due Nov 3 to prevent eviction.

Kinzie is broke, but her spirit isn't broken.

She has given so much to so many.

Can you, her community, support her now?

What is your current financial situation?

I will be homeless if the rental arrears are not paid by Thursday November 2.

As of today, my bank balance is $0.00 and I have run out of savings and the landlord's patience has finally run out.

If the bailiffs arrive as scheduled on Thursday, November 2, of my personal effects and business equipment and heartbeat materials will no longer belong to me.

To quote the judge, "You are an honest person who trusted the wrong person".

(Scroll down for bank details to save transaction fees.)

How did you get into this situation?

My hands are tied until the complex legal situation is resolved.

First, there was the unrest. I reached out to a friend for emotional support in August 2019 and was surprised with an unexpected offer of work. To relieve my anxiety, I agreed a deal where I would receive advance payments to cover the rent and the bare essentials and get paid later in exchange for substantial future gain.

Then there was the virus. One thing led to another and I was convinced to accept a 50/50 partnership and transfer my lease and my business assets and brands. The rent was covered and bills were paid and grocery money was enough. I loved the experience and I was learning about corporate finance and I created some some of my best work and I was grateful for the security during the pandemonium when Hong Kong was closed. In order to make it work, I had drastically cut my shoestring budget, but expenses increased with the expensive daily ferry commute and meals I could no longer prepare for myself when I was expected to give up my work-from-home practice and provide services full time on site.

And tomorrow never came. Each time a resolution seemed close, the goalposts were moved. When I finally began pressing hard for payment for nearly two years of delivered projects, the payments stopped suddenly and I was ghosted with no termination notice. It was all a bit of a shock. I was left to repay the advances to a partner who now claims entitlement to 50% of my business and 50% of all future income and my lease was no longer mine and rental arrears were adding up. My own company operations had ground to a halt and I was in worse shape than I had been when I had accepted an offer from someone I have known since I moved to Hong Kong in 1992 who presents as a "a nice guy and a practical, solutions-focused, helpful, business lawyer".

I began chasing payment in June 2021 and I let go of my perfect little home and downsized by half to a tiny flat to get my finances back on track, taking small contracts to keep the lights on and the cats fed. I spent time researching and unpacking all the decisions I had taken along the way to uncover how I had managed to let this happen when I had reached out to ask for emotional support during a tough time. The situation broke my trust and shared networks leave me trusting no one so I have taken on the full time legal challenge of representing myself to recover collect payment and reclaim full ownership of my business and all of my future income with a claim in the High Court.

The pieces did not fall into place in time to fulfill my promises to the landlady. She has been very patient but now I am also fighting to keep my tiny roof over my head as a defendant in District Court after some bad actions were taken to collect the arrears village life style and an ongoing dispute and I am living on edge most of the time.

Fortunately, this is an problem that money will solve.

What would you like to do?

Hong Kong is my heartbeat.

I love this city and her people and I want to continue to contribute to the holistic community I have built using my communications skills and my media network.

Having lived here more than half my life, Hong Kong is my home and I plan to serve our growing community around the world.

Hong Kong is a state of mind. No one really leaves. We just have more friends and new family everywhere.

The disruption of losing my home right now would set me back further than I care to imagine.

I have nowhere else to go and no place else I would rather be.

How can donors know you wont be in the same place six months from now?

I am stronger and smarter than ever and am ready to get back to business as soon as all the shenanigans are finished. I have discovered a new confidence, representing myself with success in the courts. I am so grateful for our judiciary and the Hong Kong people who have been so patient and helpful and kind as I navigate the system, learning along the way.

MONTHLY BUDGET

HK$6,500 - rent
HK$1,000 - phone, internet & utilities
HK$780 - web hosting
HK$1,200 - food & groceries
HK$820 - health & personal care
HK$480 - miscellaneous

MONTHLY PROJECTIONS

HK$8,000 - consulting & services
HK$2,000 - online memberships
HK$3,000 - advertising
HK$1,000 - handmade jewellery

HK$3,220 - savings

My JouYou card is a girl's best friend with HK$2 fares on all public transportation.

I am proceeding to launch 2 new products ready to launch and the membership campaign for heartbeat living, my new venture based on 22 years of success with HK heartbeat is in pre-launch for Hong Kong. Our members are everywhere, now and I am encouraged by the loving feedback from those who have joined early.

I am trying to not beat myself up too much for taking this risk as I had previously delivered services without issue. can't always take government licenses and professional credentials at face value. And I have learned more than I could ever have learned about business if I had earned an MBA or a law degree.

Although I am without financial capital or credit, I am in a much better space to move forward, having recovered from the worst of the emotional shock.

The amount of my claim (before damages) is more than enough to keep me going while I build back my business.

It's been a tough time for many and I sure do wish I did not have to ask for your help.

But I do.

So I am.

What will our donation do?

All donations will go towards paying the arrears and restoring my lease while creating a buffer to cover the overheads and keep me going while I resolve the legal issues.

It's a tight deadline because the pieces did not fall into place as planned.

Every little bit reminds me that I am on the right track.

Thank you for believing in me.

Love,
Kinzie

Other ways you can support Kinzie

-- Send a love note
-- Share this campaign
-- Book business services
-- Shop Handmade by Kinzie
-- Request an invitation to Heartbeat

"And the smile that is worth the praises of earth is the smile that shines through tears." - Ella Wheeler Wilcox

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Increase your donation by up to 10%

1. Save online fees with a direct deposit

Hang Seng Bank: 383-537032-668

Name: Kinzie (Full legal name)

FPS +852 6628 6153 / [email protected]

HSBC: 400-527057-838 (Connections Un Limited)

FPS: [email protected]

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3. Pay online with PayPal with reduced transaction fees

Lessons from Kinzie

• I recently lost a dear friend to similar financial distress and I am grateful for my own mental health.
• People who talk about how resilient I am have no context for the depth of my painful life experiences.
• Learning to ask for help is a tough lesson facing the reality that many among us do not walk their talk.
• Sending me good luck for my unfortunate circumstances does not provide me with a sense of peace.
• There is no shame in admitting I have trusted and served from a place of wanting acceptance.
• We live in a world where personal success is valued exclusively in terms of monetary returns.
• Helping a friend or stranger at my own peril is something I learned growing up on the remote farm.
• The world is full of takers and when I take good care of myself, I am far less vulnerable to predators.
• While studying law to represent myself pro se, I’m learning even that lawyers sometimes get it wrong.
• It is far too easy to mistake kindness and generosity and compassion for ignorance or stupidity or naivete
• I am the least lazy and most productive person I know and I am really good at getting lots done with a little.
• Aging is not for sissies and women become more invisible and more easily dismissed with each passing day.
• I acknowledge that my life decisions cause discomfort in those who rely on the system for a sense of security.

Everything is connected.
Listen to your own heartbeat.