Frequently asked
questions.

Jon Rickards is a Business Advisor, Coach, and Consultant based in Petaluma, California. He founded Jon Rickards Business Management in 2022 after a 30-year career in finance, operations, and leadership. He helps small businesses and growing organizations through strategic planning, financial empowerment, and hands-on operational consulting.

Business Advising is providing an unbiased outside perspective — sharing resources, connections, and expertise. Business Coaching is guiding you through a plan with goals and objectives, building on your strengths. Business Consulting is Jon rolling up his sleeves and doing the work directly — executing in lieu of an in-house expert. Most engagements blend all three depending on what you need at any given point.

While Jon doesn't use the title "fractional CFO," he provides CFO-level financial thinking to businesses that can't afford or don't need a full-time hire. He served as acting CFO at J. Rickards Winery and as VP of Finance at Rack & Riddle Custom Wine Services, and brings that executive-level financial capability to his consulting clients.

Jon is based in Petaluma, California, and primarily serves clients in Sonoma County, Marin County, Napa County, and Northern California. He also works with clients remotely throughout the United States. Many engagements blend on-site and remote work depending on what makes sense for the client.

The first step is a free 30-minute discovery call. You can schedule it directly at calendly.com/ibringordertochaos. There's no commitment or pressure — it's simply an honest conversation about your business and what might be possible. From there, Jon will recommend a path forward that fits your situation and budget.

Most engagements start with the Quick Start Business Process Review — a structured assessment covering operations, finance, sales, management, and systems. From there, ongoing work is scoped around your specific goals. There are no rigid retainer structures — Jon adapts to your pace and what makes sense for your business.

Yes. Confidentiality is important and Jon is happy to sign a mutual NDA before any substantive conversations about your business.

Jon works best with business owners and leaders who are ready to be honest about their challenges and are open to outside perspective. You don't need to have it all figured out — that's the point. The best-fit clients are small business owners feeling overwhelmed, growing businesses experiencing operational growing pains, and leaders who need financial clarity and strategic direction but can't justify a full-time hire.

The Quick Start Business Process Review package starts at $2,250 and is the most common entry point. Ongoing engagements are scoped individually. Jon's approach is to find the right scope for each client rather than applying a one-size-fits-all structure.

The Quick Start Business Process Review ($2,250 starting) includes: Initial Discovery & Expectation Setting with organizational leaders (2–3 hrs), Operations Process Review (1–2 hrs), Sales Assessment (1 hr), Management Review (1 hr), Financial Assessment (1 hr), Business Systems Assessment (1 hr), and a Review of Findings & Recommendations (1–3 hrs). Most clients complete it within two weeks.

No. Jon does not require long-term retainer agreements to get started. Many clients begin with the Quick Start package and then decide on ongoing engagement structure based on what they actually need. Jon structures ongoing work around your goals, not a fixed billing schedule.

Yes — it's a genuine specialty, not just a line on a resume. Jon has 25+ years inside the wine industry, working at Kendall Jackson Wine Estates, Orion Wine Software, J. Rickards Winery, WX Brands, and Rack & Riddle Custom Wine Services. He holds an MBA in Wine Business from Sonoma State University and has deep experience in wine finance, compliance, production, supply chain, DTC, and ERP systems.

Jon's core skills in finance and operations apply broadly. He has worked across manufacturing, software and technology, food and beverage, restaurant and hospitality, beauty and wellness, DTC and e-commerce, and general small business. If your business needs financial clarity and operational structure, the industry is usually secondary.

Yes. One of Jon's advising focus areas is helping businesses understand how AI fits into their future — how to evaluate it, adopt it proactively, and avoid being caught flat-footed by the changes it's bringing. He has a background in business systems and ERP, which gives him a practical frame for evaluating new technologies.