Jon Morris is the Founder and CEO of Fiscal Advocate Inc, a technology-enabled professional services company powered by EngineBI software. Prior to Fiscal Advocate, he established Rise Interactive in 2004 with prize money from his second-place finish in the University of Chicago’s prestigious New Venture Challenge. Over the next 16 years, he grew Rise from a one-person shop to one of the largest independent marketing agencies in the world.
After selling Rise, Jon realized that he was most energized when connecting with and helping fellow entrepreneurs grow their businesses. Fiscal Advocate is the product of this inspiration. He recognized that insights-driven finance was instrumental in Rise’s success and understood that nearly any professional services company could benefit from it. Like at Rise, Jon developed a proprietary, tech-enabled approach for surfacing hidden financial insights that drive critical business decisions.
Fiscal Advocate’s innovative financial management solutions are designed to help professional service companies drive revenue growth, save time, increase profitability, and improve cash position. Its services include accounting and bookkeeping, cash flow analysis, month-end reporting, as well as annual planning and forecasting using the EngineBI software.
Outside of work, Jon enjoys spending time with his wife, three daughters, and two dogs. A passionate soccer enthusiast, he played for Kenyon College and now enjoys studying data-driven approaches to youth player development.
If your business could have a mascot, what would it be and why?
A Fox
Why a Fox?
- Agile and Intelligent: Foxes are known for their cleverness, adaptability, and strategic instincts. These qualities align closely with Fiscal Advocate’s role in helping businesses navigate financial complexity, identify opportunities, and make smart decisions.
- Symbol of Strategy: Just as a fox finds creative paths through obstacles, Fiscal Advocate helps clients craft strategic plans, manage risk, and seize growth opportunities.
- Sharp Insight: The fox’s keen senses represent the firm’s analytical precision, especially through tools like EngineBI and the BASE Framework.
What strategies do you employ to maintain a healthy work-life balance while running your own business?
Maintaining work-life balance as a business owner requires intentional choices. I believe that in order to achieve greatness, you can only truly prioritize two out of three areas: family, self, and business. My focus is on family and business.
Family keeps me centered and provides meaning to everything I do. I make it a priority to be present with my family, whether that means sharing meals, attending school events, or simply spending quality time together.
My business receives my full energy and commitment. I am driven to grow, innovate, and deliver value for my clients. The responsibility of leading a business is significant, but it is also deeply rewarding.
To support the third area, self, I look for ways to integrate it into my time with family. One of the ways I do this is by coaching my kids in soccer. It allows me to stay active, do something I love, and create meaningful memories. This approach gives me personal fulfillment while staying aligned with my top priorities.
By being intentional with how I spend my time and energy, I am able to show up fully for both my family and my business while still nurturing my own well-being.
When faced with unexpected detours on your business path, how do you pivot with grace and resilience, showing fellow women entrepreneurs the way forward?
Business is hard. Setbacks are not the exception, they are the rule. What defines success is not avoiding them, but how you respond when they show up.
When I face unexpected detours, I start by acknowledging the reality of the situation without letting it shake my belief in the bigger vision. Then I get to work identifying exactly what is not working. You cannot fix what you have not clearly defined. I believe in facing the facts head-on, no matter how uncomfortable they may be.
Resilience comes from determination. I stay focused on the outcomes I want to achieve and remain flexible in how I get there. Sometimes that means letting go of a plan I believed in, and other times it means doubling down with a smarter, more informed approach.
What I want fellow women entrepreneurs to know is this: grace does not mean being perfect or emotionless in the face of challenges. It means showing up with clarity, adjusting with confidence, and leading through change with strength and humility. When you do that, you not only move your business forward, you show others how to do the same.
How do you measure the success of your business beyond financial metrics, such as customer satisfaction or community engagement?
While financial results matter, I believe true success is defined by the outcomes we create for our clients and our employees.
For clients, the goal is to provide a product or service that delivers exceptional value. When they pay for our work, the return should be far greater than the cost. If we are helping them grow, solve problems, or gain clarity, then we are achieving real impact. That kind of outcome builds lasting relationships and genuine trust.
For employees, success is about creating meaningful opportunities. As the business grows, we are able to offer more than just a paycheck. We provide careers, mentorship, and a sense of purpose. When people grow within the company and feel proud of their contributions, that is a powerful measure of success.
In short, a business thrives when it helps others thrive. If both clients and employees are winning, then I know we are on the right path.
Can you share a memorable moment where you witnessed significant growth or transformation in your business, illustrating the impact of your services/products?
One of the most meaningful transformations I witnessed came in 2024 with a client who was facing a serious financial crisis. The company was losing money every month, growth had stalled, and debt was piling up. The CEO confided that he was struggling to sleep at night because the stress had become overwhelming.
We stepped in to help them regain control. Through budgeting and forecasting, we brought clarity to their numbers and helped them see the levers they could actually influence. We introduced critical financial benchmarks and taught them what “good” looked like in their industry. Most importantly, we guided them toward financial stewardship by helping them make better, more confident decisions.
Today, that company is incredibly profitable. They are steadily paying down their debt and are back on a clear path to sustainable growth. Seeing their turnaround reminded me why this work matters. It is not just about financial metrics—it is about restoring confidence, creating stability, and helping leaders move from survival to momentum.
What role do you believe mentorship plays in the success of small businesses, and how have mentors influenced your own entrepreneurial journey?
I believe mentorship is essential to the success of small businesses. Building and scaling a company is full of challenges, and trying to do it alone makes the journey much harder.
In both my previous business and my current one, I have had mentors who played a major role in guiding me. Their insights helped me avoid mistakes, make better decisions, and stay focused during difficult moments. Having someone who has already walked the path provides clarity and confidence when facing uncertainty.
A strong mentor offers more than just advice. They ask the hard questions, provide encouragement, and help you grow as a leader. Without mentorship, I believe I would have made more missteps and taken longer to reach key milestones. For me, mentorship has been a powerful force in both personal and business growth.
What’s your work all about, and how does it make a difference in the world?
Fiscal Advocate exists to help professional service companies take control of their finances, make smarter decisions, and grow with confidence. We specialize in fractional CFO services, strategic planning, and financial technology, supporting companies that often lack a strong internal finance function.
At the core of our work is a belief that financial clarity unlocks business potential. Many founders and CEOs are brilliant at what they do but feel overwhelmed when it comes to budgeting, forecasting, and long-term planning. We step in with tools, processes, and experienced guidance to help them understand where they are, where they are going, and how to get there.
We use our proprietary BASE Framework and EngineBI platform to help leaders:
- Increase cash relative to monthly overhead
- Improve profit margins
- Accelerate top-line growth
But our impact goes beyond numbers. When a company becomes financially strong, it can invest in its people, serve its clients better, and contribute more to the community. We’ve helped companies turn around from crisis, find stability, and achieve ambitious goals that once felt out of reach.
By empowering businesses with financial strategy and insight, we help them grow in ways that are sustainable and meaningful. That ripple effect touches employees, families, and entire industries. That is the difference Fiscal Advocate is here to make.
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