Business Development Associate

🧭 Role Overview

Title: Business Development Associate (DTC Growth)
Reports to: Founder & CEO (you)
Primary Objective:
Identify, qualify, and engage direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands that would benefit from Arka’s custom packaging and cartonization solutions — driving growth through a blend of research, automation, and personalized outreach.

🎯 Core Responsibilities

1. Pipeline Development

Research and build a target list of DTC brands across Shopify, Amazon, and 3PL networks.

Segment prospects by revenue, product category, shipping volume, and packaging type (mailers, RSC, tubes, etc.).

Maintain CRM data hygiene in HubSpot, Apollo, or similar tools.

2. Outbound Lead Generation

Create and manage automated cold email campaigns using tools like Apollo, Instantly.ai, or Clay.

A/B test outreach angles (e.g., cost-savings audit, sustainability, brand upgrade).

Track and optimize open rates, reply rates, and booked meetings.

3. Brand Research

Investigate brand aesthetic, packaging type, and estimated monthly shipping volume using tools such as SimilarWeb, Shopify Inspector, or LinkedIn Sales Navigator.

Tag brands by industry (apparel, supplements, beauty, food) to tailor outreach messaging.

Identify 3PL partners of each brand to connect opportunities to Arka’s fulfillment ecosystem.

4. Meeting Coordination

Schedule intro calls and audits for you or your sales closer.

Follow up post-call for quotes or next steps.

Ensure smooth handoff to Arka’s production or packaging audit team.

5. Growth Experiments

Test new data sources (LinkedIn, DTC directories, subscription-box lists, etc.).

Build referral or affiliate programs to incentivize introductions from agencies or 3PLs.

Track performance metrics weekly (meetings, conversions, revenue).