This comment sounds very reasonable. However, it does not actuall reflect reality. The truth is exactly what I wrote. By and large these kinds of licensing requirements are not really enforced to protect the public but rather to protect incumbent businesses from competition. The licensing is often very onerous going through bureaucratic hoops, made difficult by design for small businesses. Does the public really need protection from “unscrupulous” or “incompetent” interior decorators? I think not. If a practitioner of any trade does something bad, then punish them for that. Otherwise, government should butt out.