A Day In The Life Of A Head Of Business Development At Xsolla Holding Company
A Head of Business Development's week involves "multiple meetings" with various stakeholders, including direct reports, potential investors, and companies seeking investment, requiring strategic planning and addressing urgent issues. This role demands juggling diverse tasks, from due diligence on acquisitions to internal reporting, necessitating dedicated "focus time" to manage the varied demands of the position.
Executive/Leadership, Communication, Problem-Solving, Project Management, Teamwork
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Maurice Scarborough
Head of Business Development
Xsolla Holding Company
University of Missouri - 2010
UCLA Anderson School of Management, MBA
Creative Writing, Journalism
Gaming
Sales and Client Management
Scholarship Recipient, Pell Grant Recipient, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Maurice's day-to-day tasks involve a lot of meetings with various stakeholders, including direct reports, investors, and potential acquisition targets. This highlights the importance of strong communication and interpersonal skills in business development.
2. He spends approximately half his day in meetings focused on strategy, growth initiatives, and solving immediate problems, demonstrating the dynamic and problem-solving nature of the role. This emphasizes the need for adaptability and quick thinking.
3. Maurice's responsibilities extend to internal communication, reporting (using tools like Salesforce and Confluence), and strategic planning (3-6 months out). This showcases the combination of operational and strategic thinking needed to succeed in business development.
Transcript
What does a day in the life of a head of business development look like?
That's a funny question. A day in the life of business development is so varied that any day can look different. Perhaps looking at the week in the life of a business development person makes more sense.
My typical week contains multiple meetings with various stakeholders throughout the different portfolio companies we have. I meet with my direct reports, the people I supervise, ensuring they have what they need from me and my team to succeed.
We discuss new initiatives we're trying to undertake or grow within the business. Any given day, I'm in meetings for about three to four hours, dedicating half my day to strategy. We consider how to grow the business, what opportunities are on the horizon, and what to plan for three to six months ahead.
There are also things that need to be solved on a week-to-week basis that pop up. We handle last-minute requests, like when a regional office needs support on an initiative that's not progressing as needed under a tight timeline.
Any given week, we also meet with potential investors, such as VCs, or companies seeking our investment. We conduct due diligence on potential acquisitions.
Additionally, there are internal company meetings and meetings with the founder to ensure we're executing his vision and to update him on company initiatives. It's very varied on a week-to-week basis.
This doesn't even account for all the reporting I need to do to communicate updates to my teammates and my boss. I create digestible formats, whether by updating CRMs like Salesforce or Confluence, or by writing weekly or biweekly summaries of our initiatives.
There's a lot, and it's never a straightforward day. To ensure we have time to focus, we carve out dedicated "focus time" in our calendars. This is blocked off as sacred time to get that work done, and during that time, we tackle something different each day.