Laura Nichols never expected aesthetics to become her career.

Laura Nichols, Owner of The Face Place. It might be a cliche to say someone’s business is a way of life, but Laura’s passion for wellness and beauty truly is just that.

Originally from Lake Charles, Laura came to Baton Rouge to attend LSU and then spent the next decade working as an emergency room nurse before returning to school to become a nurse practitioner.

Her first job as a nurse practitioner required a lengthy commute and 12-hour shifts, an arrangement Laura quickly realized wasn’t sustainable as a single mother with two children. Around the same period, Laura became fascinated by the science behind aesthetic medicine after she received a Botox treatment. She began learning injectable procedures and offering services to a small group of ten existing patients she already knew and trusted.

When the pandemic disrupted her practice, Laura temporarily worked in urgent care while continuing aesthetic treatments out of a salon on the side. Over the next two years, her client base grew to roughly 200 patients.

Eventually, Laura realized the business had outgrown its informal beginnings. So, in 2022, she signed a lease on her own space, and The Face Place officially opened on Perkins Road in March 2023.

Now, suppose Laura doesn’t want the story to end here. Suppose she has her sights set on growing her business, expanding, maybe, even into other states. Or other countries. After all, WalMart started with a single store in Arkansas.

Okay, but it’s not 1962. So how would Laura make a dream like that actually happen today? She might turn to a type of investor called an angel. And specifically she might turn to an organization called Gulf South Angels who specialize in investing in companies with growth potential and in helping them with guidance and expertise. Gulf South Angels ranks among the top angel investment organizations in the country in terms of both membership and capital deployment.

Here in Baton Rouge the go-to Gulf South Angel to contact is Rick Bond.

Rick Bond, Board Member of Gulf South Angels, a local source of investment capital for entrepreneurs. In the “If you build it they will come” approach, Rick says the angels get 40 requests a month for investors.

Out to Lunch is recorded live over lunch at Mansurs on the Boulevard. Photos by Ethan Castille .

Amy Irvin hosts Out to Lunch at Mansurs On The Boulevard in Baton Rouge