Love Lost and Found Jewelry, dba Astor & Orion, is a small jewelry manufacturer based in Seattle, Washington, known for leveraging an innovative design process and seamless collaboration with its manufacturing partner, certified for outstanding environmental and labor standards.
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. 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, part of the MEP National Network™, it became clear that Astor & Orion needed to adapt its strategy.
I'm deeply grateful for the support I received from Impact Washington. Their dedication to helping small, woman-owned businesses like mine has made a tremendous difference. They not only provided me with invaluable guidance but also showed a true commitment to fostering sustainable growth and empowering entrepreneurs. Their impact on businesses like Astor & Orion goes far beyond just advice—it's about creating opportunities and helping us thrive in competitive markets.
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. Marketing Consultant Howard Hale 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.
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.