If I were you, I'd start by getting completely obsessed with a single customer before I ever looked at a product. The biggest mistake in Amazon private label is starting with product research tools to find a “high-demand, low-competition” widget. That approach leads to a race to the bottom on price and a business with no real foundation.
A brand is an audience, not just a logo. This is why you have to start with the who. Yoni Kozminski gave a great interview on the Amazon Legends Podcast where he laid out a complete roadmap to building an eight-figure private label, and it all started with this deep customer understanding. It becomes the filter for every other decision you make, from product features to your brand voice.
In week one, I’d be off Amazon completely. I'd live inside the Reddit communities, Facebook groups, and online forums where my target customer complains, brags, and asks for advice. What problems do they have? What do they wish existed? What words do they use? This is where your best product ideas and marketing copy will come from. Louis Roubert made a similar point on the Amazon Legends Podcast about the importance of deep keyword research, and this process gives you the authentic seeds for that research.
By month one, I’d have a shortlist of three to five product ideas that solve a real problem for this audience. I’d be getting samples, but I wouldn't just be looking for a supplier. I would be maniacally focused on differentiation. As expert Ashley Kinkead explains, you have to find a way to make your product better or different. Don't just slap a logo on it. At the same time, I would be building an audience before the product is even ready. I’d take the advice from the hosts of The Amazon Seller Podcast in their episode on building an audience for your brand and start a simple email list or Instagram page. You want people waiting for your launch.
The thing I’d completely ignore is the pressure to find a “unicorn” product that’s going to make you a millionaire overnight. That’s a fantasy. The goal is to build a solid foundation with a great first product that delights your core customer, which gives you the right to launch a second and third product to that same audience. The trap I’d be most careful to avoid is competing on price. If your only advantage is being cheaper, you have already lost. Someone will always be willing to make less profit than you. Instead, focus on brand building on Amazon so people trust you and want to buy from you, even if it costs a little more. This creates a real, defensible asset that you own, not just a temporary ranking on a search page.