Helping families make decisions together about what they share, across generations.
Family Enterprise & Family Office Advising
Jennifer Strom advises families who share businesses, wealth, and responsibility across generations. She helps families define the purpose of their shared assets, including family businesses, family offices, investments, real estate, and philanthropy. She works with families to strengthen governance and navigate transitions in ownership, leadership, and overall decision-making, with attention to protecting both the enterprise and family harmony.
Start a ConversationAdvising families with complex shared interests
As families grow, the decisions they make together become more consequential. Different generations may have different expectations for the business, family office, or shared wealth. Existing structures may need to evolve, and important conversations may be difficult to begin. Conversations about structure are as important as understanding decisions in the context of family relationships and navigating wealth and values.
Jennifer works with family members, non-family executives, family office leaders, board directors, trustees, and trusted advisors to clarify priorities and create workable approaches to decision-making. Her work connects the family’s goals with the structures and responsibilities needed to carry them forward. She also designs and facilitates family meetings and retreats where these conversations can happen productively.
Family Business Consulting
Clarify how the family, owners, board, and management work together with clear owner goals and in the context of family relationships. Develop governance structure, policies, and decision-making processes that reflect the realities of your family and enterprise.
Explore Family Business Consulting →Family Office Consulting
Define what your family office is meant to accomplish, your shared purpose in keeping assets together, the services your family needs, and the right balance of internal resources and outside expertise. Establish clear expectations between the family, office leadership, and advisors.
Explore Family Office Consulting →Generational Transitions
Prepare for changes in ownership, leadership, or shared wealth. Address the expectations, responsibilities, and relationships that shape a transition, alongside the work of your trusted advisors and key stakeholders. Consider perspectives on wealth and values and how a desire to prevent entitlement and protect relationships can inform your decisions.
Explore Generational Transitions →Rising Generation Education
Help current and future owners understand the enterprise, what they may own, and find meaningful ways to participate. Create learning and engagement opportunities that respect individual interests while preparing family members for shared responsibilities. Structure learning and family meetings to support learning and ensure family harmony with a broader group of owners.
Explore Rising Generation Education →
Meet Jennifer Strom
Jennifer brings business training and a systems perspective to family enterprise advising. Her MBA and training as a Marriage and Family Therapist inform an approach that considers how strategic choices and family relationships influence one another.
She is an Executive in Residence and Adjunct Lecturer at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, in the John L. Ward Center for Family Enterprises.
About JenniferHow the work begins
An initial conversation explores what is changing, what feels unresolved and is keeping you stuck, and what you hope to accomplish. The next step often involves individual interviews with family and key stakeholders and advisors, a review of existing governance, and a facilitated family discussion. Jennifer then works with you to define priorities, a practical scope, and a sequence for the work ahead.
“Sometimes all we need is just a new perspective.”
Examples of Jennifer’s Client Work
Every family’s situation is different. These anonymized examples show the kinds of questions families bring and how the work unfolds.
Preparing the next generation of owners
As ownership of a family business moved from the third generation to a larger, more geographically dispersed fourth generation, the company was led entirely by non-family management. Jennifer educated fourth-generation members about what they would own, helped create guidelines for family board seats, and strengthened the family council and board. She also worked with shareholders, the board, and the executive team to clarify how decisions would be made going forward.
More on Rising Generation Education →Making decisions about shared assets across generations
Nine cousins across three branches co-owned a lake house with no rules for its use. As costs rose, disagreements over renting, funding, and upkeep drove two branches away. Jennifer helped the owners agree on what the house is for, write a use policy, fund a maintenance reserve, and name a small house committee.
More on Family Business Consulting →Building a family office after a sale
After a liquidity event, a multigenerational family wanted a family office but held different views of its purpose. Jennifer interviewed each adult family member and key advisors, guided the family to a shared mission and family constitution, and worked with their attorneys to clarify decision authority across trustees, the investment committee, and the family council.
More on Family Office Consulting →Start a Conversation
If your family is preparing for a family business transition, rethinking governance, or considering a family office, contact Jennifer to discuss what support could be useful.
26 Imperial Avenue
Westport CT 06880