Beauty entrepreneur Horst Rechelbacher's advice for intelligent business

“I’m 70 years old, and I’m a startup.” 

Horst Rechelbacher may be one of the most well-known entrepreneurs in the natural beauty industry, but the founder of hair care powerhouse Aveda prides himself on being a student—of love and potion, Ayurveda and organic farming, business and science. And with his latest venture, Intelligent Nutrients, he’s starting from the ground up to cultivate an entirely new way of doing business.

“Empowering yourself to make a difference: that’s entrepreneurship.”

After selling Aveda, which he founded more than 30 years ago, to Estee Lauder in 2007, Rechelbacher launched organic health and beauty line Intelligent Nutrients, one of the few personal care companies to offer only products that meet the strict NOP organic standards. He’s determined to bring safe and feel-good organic beauty products to consumers—and shed light on greenwashers in the process.

Here, the author of Minding Your Business, Rejuvenation, Aveda Rituals and Alivelihood (Earth Aware Editions, 2008) shares top tips for building a sustainable and successful beauty business.