Deep Dive 18 – Regulatory Hurdles for Entrepreneurs: The Story of Project Belle

Armand Lauzon created a cutting-edge business called Project Belle. Belle is a service that connects consumers directly with health and beauty professionals for in-home or at-work care in Tennessee. A Tennessee salon owner who “found this type of competition highly disturbing” reported Lauzon’s business to the Tennessee State Board of Cosmetology. The Board determined that Belle had run afoul of a regulation that makes it illegal in Tennessee to practice cosmetology outside of a brick-and-mortar salon. The Board issued Lauzon a $500 penalty and a cease-and-desist notice. Believing his business model to be outside the scope of the regulation—Lauzon does not own a salon and does not perform cosmetology services himself—and indeed the Board’s authority, Lauzon challenged the Board’s order.

Join us for this Deep Dive podcast to hear the full story of Project Belle and the Tennessee State Board of Cosmetology.

Featuring:
- Armand Lauzon, Founder & CEO, Belle
- Braden H. Boucek, Director of Litigation, Beacon Center of Tennessee

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