Presentations used to leave Marcus Mohon feeling “like a used car salesman.” Then, a conversation with a client helped him embrace the cost of great design.

For much of his early career, Marcus Mohon thought that saving clients money was a virtue. He was doing beautiful work that made his clients feel so seen that they often cried with excitement during presentations. But sometimes, if he was being honest, he stopped short of greatness.

Even though his process began with a thorough budget review, the Austin designer fretted about sticker shock. “Sometimes thinking about the budget would hinder me from [choosing] the best solutions,” he recalls. “In presentations, I would always say that I felt like a used car salesman trying to force them into something.” Mohon didn’t actually feel like he was hoodwinking clients to make the sale, but the throwaway line masked his reticence to stand up for his biggest, brightest, sometimes costliest ideas.