Business Development Intern (MBA), Home Services

About the Role

We're looking for an MBA-level Business Development & Strategy Intern to own a merchant-acquisition initiative end-to-end - from market research and territory selection, through self-sourced outreach and negotiation, to data-driven analysis and a final recommendation to leadership.

This isn't a role where you follow a script someone else wrote. You'll get a market, a goal, and a blank page - and it's on you to figure out the smartest way to win it. You'll be measured on real business outcomes: partners signed, pipeline built, insight generated - not just activity.

Market and Territory Strategy

• Independently map the local service-provider landscape in an assigned category or geography (e.g., HVAC in a specific metro): merchant density, acquisition channels, and competitive platforms (Angi, Thumbtack, Yelp, etc.)
• Build your own scoring framework to size the opportunity and decide which merchant categories or neighborhoods to go after first

Self-Sourced Outreach and Pipeline Development

• Build your own target list and figure out the smartest way to reach each one - no inherited leads, no playbook handed to you
• Introduce Nearby.ai and pitch the value proposition to local business owners, handling objections yourself
• Build and maintain a pipeline in a CRM or spreadsheet with real discipline: stage, next step, expected close
• Treat outreach as a live experiment - test channels, messaging, and timing, and double down on what the data says is working

Analysis and Business Case Development

• Analyze outreach and conversion data to identify what's working and quantify results (contacts made, response rates, conversion rates)
• Turn merchant feedback into structured insight that could shape Nearby.ai's value proposition or onboarding process
• Build a simple business case (expected partners signed, revenue impact) to justify where to focus next

Solutioning and Partnership Development

• Independently draft outreach scripts, pitch decks, and partnership proposals tailored to each merchant type
• Lead onboarding conversations through to close
• Recommend improvements to the onboarding process based on what you hear from merchants

Reporting and Recommendations

• Report weekly on outreach metrics and pipeline, framed as insights and next steps, not just raw counts
• Deliver a final presentation to the team: your market analysis, results, and a recommended go-forward strategy for merchant acquisition

Who You Are

• Currently pursuing an MBA (or equivalent graduate business program), ideally with prior experience in consulting, sales, BD, or a startup
• Comfortable being fully self-directed - you build the plan, not just execute someone else's
• Strong quantitative and analytical skills; genuinely comfortable working in spreadsheets and data
• Excellent written and verbal communication, with the confidence to pick up the phone, knock on a door, and negotiate directly with small-business owners
• High tolerance for ambiguity and rejection - energized by 0-to-1, hands-on work, and comfortable inventing your own approach as you go

Details

• Type: Internship, 20-40 hrs/week
• Duration: 3-6 months
• Location: Remote
• Compensation: Paid, $40-60 hourly

Cpra

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