DIM Pre-Module Individual Assignment – Case Memorandum: The Blonde Salad
Lukas Neubauer, ESMT Executive MBA Class of 2015-17
INTRODUCTION AND STATUS QUO
In 2009, Chiara Ferragni and Riccardo Pozzoli co-founded the fashion blog “The Blonde Salad”
(TBS) and developed the platform centered on Ferragni’s passions for fashion, travel and
photography into two businesses that generated EUR 6 million in annual revenue and employed
14 people by 2014: The Blonde Salad blog and Chiara Ferragni Collection shoe line.
Though Ferragni was selected among the 30 under 30 in Arts & Style by Forbes in 2015 and
emerged as an international celebrity and influencer attending fashions events all over the world,
she and Pozzoli were at an important milestone where they needed to develop a sensitive strategy
to ensure a sustainable future for their expanding businesses.
Over the years of their companies’ existence, the revenue sources has comprised brand
