Horst M. Rechelbacher Quotes
Horst M. Rechelbacher, founder of Aveda, an organic plant-based line of salon products, is an active environmentalist, innovative business leader, author, artist, yoga practitioner and the founder and chief executive of the Minneapolis based company, ‘Intelligent Nutrients’.
Image: Photo of Horst M. Rechelbacher, active environmentalist, innovative business leader, author, artist, yoga practitioner
“It’s important to let go, calm down, and get grounded. We need to listen to ourselves. When one becomes aware that our present-moment thoughts are not productive, one should simply let them go. Change a negative thought to a positive one.”
“Close your eyes and you will see clearly. Be still and you will hear the truth.”
“Serve selflessly, seeing our customers as ourselves.”
“Apprentice ourselves with dedication to great teachers and to life itself.”
When Anita Sharpe asked Horst Rechelbacher in a recent interview in Motto magazine, “What were the smartest things you did when building Aveda? Rechelbacher answered:
“No. 1 was staying true to the mission and hiring environmentalists who didn’t report to anyone but the environment. We hung posters up in the factory that said things like, “reuse, recycle.” This led to a truly clarified action plan; we followed through in sales and marketing and all of our operations – we put in a day care center and put solar ‘panels’ on the roof. Second, we held weekly steering committee meetings where leaders reported on the progress they were making. The environmentalists could cancel projects if they were not environmentally sound. And third, you always need to go outside and get a second opinion on how you are doing. Once you get on top of the mountain, you get used to the view. You don’t see your own mountain.”
– Horst M. Rechelbacher (1941- 2014)