Meet Lexi Merritt | Founder, Pretty Decent Internet Café

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lexi Merritt and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lexi, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
When I first started working for myself, it was absolutely out of necessity. My Dad passed away and suddenly there was no way I was going to make it into an office every day. My mental health demanded a more flexible schedule.

I freelanced for a few years and made progress, but I would say the traction really started when I went out on a limb and founded Pretty Decent as it exists today. The thought process behind that was a mixture of, again, necessity — but also creative fulfillment. Every time I interrogated what I wanted to be doing, all I wanted to do was write and teach. I needed an outlet for it that would be financially sustainable. So the membership was born.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I’m the founder of the Pretty Decent Internet Café, an educational gathering space for creative thinkers. We offer structure, education and consulting services to creative people who want to work for themselves doing the things they *actually* want to do.

I started the business for real in July 2020, after completing a round of The Artist’s Way. We existed before then, but that’s when I started selling products. It was years in the making. I’m not a big regret person, so I think the timing was perfect — especially because by the time I launched, I was deeply in community with the people I wanted to serve.

I would say the most impactful thing was trusting that I had something to offer my peers. As a service provider, it’s easy to get trapped in a loop of feeling like you can only sell things to people who have a ton of resources. I wanted to make things that were both accessible and high-end, because I was in the trenches WITH my ideal client.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My group chat! Danielle, Lenéa and Roxanne. I think every entrepreneur and artist needs a group of people they can turn to in the good and bad moments. That’s what they are for me.

Website: www.prettydecent.org

Instagram: instagram.com/prettydecent

Image Credits
Noémie Marguerite