Whether you appreciate having “the money talk” or see it as a necessary evil, discussing your financial process with clients is an early and essential step in a successful project. But who takes on that role? We asked eight designers to share who’s in charge of discussing fees and budgets.

DO IT YOURSELF

“I handle this because no one else really understands exactly what I am doing and how I charge. While I have a team of remote bookkeepers and a fractional COO and an assistant, there’s no one else who could estimate project cost and scope. And while all those team members are important to the overall financial health of the company, I’m the only one who really has a handle on questions about pricing. I absolutely loathe talking about money, particularly to clients, and it would be my dream to have someone come in and handle those tough conversations for me, because I find them so draining and distracting from the actual work at hand, but they are so important and they have
to happen.” —Bethany Adams, Bethany Adams Interiors, Louisville, Kentucky