Astor & Orion Achieves Significant Partnerships & Sustainable Growth through Strategic Planning

Company Profile

Love Lost and Found Jewelry, dba Astor & Orion, is a small jewelry manufacturer based in Seattle, known for leveraging an innovative design process and seamless collaboration with its manufacturing partner, certified for outstanding environmental and labor standards. This approach has allowed the company to significantly reduce the time from concept to production while staying true to its motto: "Look good while you do good."

Situation

Karen Hartman, owner and designer of Astor & Orion, had cultivated a loyal customer base and secured a few small wholesale accounts. The company’s design, pricing, and product presentation were well-received, and Hartman had focused on the DTC (Direct-to-Consumer) e-commerce model. However, rising ad costs and new privacy regulations made it increasingly difficult and expensive to drive traffic to the company’s website. Despite her efforts, Hartman struggled to find a cost-effective solution to grow sales and expand the brand’s reach in the competitive jewelry market.

After a comprehensive business evaluation with Impact Washington consultants, it became clear that Astor & Orion needed to adapt its strategy in response to these evolving market conditions. While the business had strong fundamentals, Hartman realized that a new approach was necessary to reach a broader audience and sustain growth.

Solution

With the support of a Small Business Innovation Fund grant, Impact Washington provided Hartman with tailored consulting in two critical areas: Marketing and Strategic Planning. Howard Hale, the marketing consultant from Impact Washington, proposed a key strategic shift: instead of focusing on driving traffic to the Astor & Orion website, Hartman should focus on distributing her products through platforms where potential customers were already shopping.

This shift led to a reorientation of the business toward wholesale account acquisition and brand partnerships. With Impact Washington’s guidance, Hartman transformed Astor & Orion’s wholesale outreach into a scalable, technology-driven system. By leveraging digital tools and automation, she streamlined the ordering process for wholesale buyers, making it more efficient and effective. What had previously been an ad hoc outreach process became a robust, scalable system with KPIs in place to drive continuous improvement—skills Hartman developed through the strategic planning component of the consulting services.

Results

As a result of this strategic pivot, Astor & Orion secured partnerships with major retailers such as Macy’s, Wolf & Badger, and DoneGood significantly expanding the brand’s reach and visibility. Hartman developed a strategic plan aligned with her long-term goals, which included establishing key performance indicators (KPIs) and implementing a Daily Management Tool to track the company’s progress. With these tools, Astor & Orion is now well-positioned for sustainable growth in an increasingly competitive market.

• Increased Sales: $15,000
• Retained Sales: $15,000
• Jobs Created and Retained:4
• Increased Investment: $20,000
• Cost Savings: $30,000