If you’re new to selling online, one of the biggest questions is always the same: Where do I start?
After managing over $40 million in sales on Amazon over the past decade, we’ve learned that the fastest path forward isn’t guessing, hoping, or chasing the “next hot trend.” It’s about creating a system that helps you uncover profitable opportunities every single day.
In this post, we’re going to show you a simple 30-minute-a-day routine for building a list of brands that could become the foundation of your ecommerce business. Whether you’ve never sold a single product online, or you’ve dabbled and struggled to gain traction, this system works because it’s repeatable, clear, and built for action.
And by the end, you’ll see exactly how to set yourself up with a growing database of brand leads that you can turn into profitable partnerships.
Why a “Brand List” Matters More Than Random Products
When most beginners think about ecommerce, they picture chasing products: “What’s trending this week?” or “Which item just went viral on TikTok?”
That approach is exhausting. Trends fade. Viral products crash.
The better approach is to think in terms of brands.
Every brand already has dozens (sometimes hundreds) of products. When you partner with a brand, you open the door to a catalog instead of a single item. That means:
- More consistent income.
- A business that grows by adding new brands, not by chasing one-hit wonders.
- Predictability, because established brands already have demand.
So instead of asking, “What should I sell?” the smarter question is: “Which brands should I build relationships with?”
That’s where your brand list comes in.
Step 1: Pick from the Biggest Categories on Amazon
If you’re going to spend just 30 minutes a day, you want your time to matter. That means starting with categories where demand is proven and customers are already shopping.
Here are five of the largest categories on Amazon today:
- Health & Household
- Beauty & Personal Care
- Home & Kitchen
- Pet Supplies
- Sports & Outdoors
These categories are massive, evergreen, and filled with brands customers trust.
Does that mean you’ll never sell in other niches? Of course not. But if you’re starting from scratch, this is where you’ll find an abundance of opportunity without reinventing the wheel.
Step 2: Build Your Daily Research Habit
Now let’s talk about the system.
You don’t need to spend 8 hours a day to make progress. In fact, most people won’t stick with something that intense. But 30 minutes a day—that’s manageable, sustainable, and powerful if you do it consistently.
Here’s what a single 30-minute session looks like:
- Choose a category (for example, Beauty & Personal Care).
- Search top-selling products on Amazon in that category.
- Note the brands that keep popping up.
- Add them to your brand list spreadsheet.
That’s it. Simple, focused, repeatable.
The goal isn’t to evaluate every detail on the spot. The goal is to capture brand names consistently so that you build a growing list of potential leads.
Step 3: Use Tools to Speed Things Up
While you can do everything manually, there are tools that make the process much faster.
Some of our favorites include:
- Keepa – Tracks product sales rank and price history so you can spot demand trends.
- Jungle Scout – Helps you see estimated sales volume and competition.
- Helium 10 – Provides keyword data and product research insights.
These tools aren’t mandatory, but they take the guesswork out of research. Instead of relying on “gut feeling,” you get real data that shows whether a brand’s products are selling consistently.
The good news: you don’t need to master all the features at once. Even just learning the basics—checking sales rank or tracking estimated demand—will give you a huge advantage.
Step 4: Organize with a Simple Color-Coding System
A list of names is great, but you’ll quickly realize you need a way to organize everything. That’s why we use a simple color-coding system.
Imagine a spreadsheet with the following columns:
- Brand Name
- Contact Info
- Initial Email Sent
- Reply Status
- Result (Won, Lost, Archived)
Now add color coding:
- Yellow = Initial email sent.
- Green = Positive reply.
- Blue = Negotiating or ongoing discussion.
- Red = Declined or archived.
This way, you can glance at your spreadsheet and instantly know where each brand stands. No messy notes, no lost leads, no confusion about “Did I follow up with them?”
Step 5: Consistent Follow-Up is the Secret Weapon
This is where many new sellers drop the ball. They send one email, don’t hear back, and assume the brand isn’t interested.
But here’s the truth: most deals don’t happen on the first try. Just like in any business, follow-up is where the magic happens.
Here’s a simple rhythm to follow:
- Send your initial email introducing yourself.
- Wait 5–7 days.
- If no reply, send a polite follow-up.
- If still no reply, send one more a week later.
That’s it. Three touch points. Respectful, professional, and enough to show you’re serious without being pushy.
When you track this in your color-coded spreadsheet, it becomes automatic. You’ll know exactly who needs a follow-up and when.
What This Looks Like in Practice
Let’s say you spend 30 minutes today in the Beauty & Personal Care category.
- You spot five interesting brands.
- You add them to your spreadsheet.
- You send one initial email.
Tomorrow, you move to Home & Kitchen. Another five brands. Another initial email.
By the end of the week, you’ve added 25+ brands to your list. By the end of a month, you’ve got over 100.
Even if only 10% of those turn into conversations, that’s 10 active brand discussions—far more than most new sellers ever imagine possible.
And remember, each brand isn’t just one product. It could mean dozens of profitable SKUs.
The Real Key: Momentum
We’ve seen thousands of students go through this process. The ones who succeed aren’t the ones who got “lucky” with the right product. They’re the ones who showed up every day, even for just half an hour, and built their list piece by piece.
Think about it:
- 30 minutes a day = 3.5 hours a week.
- 3.5 hours a week = a business pipeline of dozens of potential partners.
It’s not about speed. It’s about consistency.
Common Questions Beginners Have
“What if I don’t know how to write the email?”
Don’t overcomplicate it. Be polite, be professional, and keep it short. You don’t need a fancy sales pitch—just introduce yourself, explain that you’d love to explore carrying their products, and ask for the right contact.
“What if I get rejected?”
That’s normal. Rejection is part of the process. Every “no” just gets you closer to the brands who will say “yes.”
“Do I need to have everything set up before I reach out?”
No. Don’t wait until everything is perfect. The best way to learn is by doing. You’ll figure out the details as you go, and the conversations with brands will guide what you need to set up next.
Encouragement for New Sellers
We know starting something new can feel overwhelming. You see other people posting screenshots of big sales numbers and it’s easy to think, “I could never do that.”
But here’s the truth: every single successful seller we’ve trained started in the exact same place you are—zero products, zero sales, zero connections.
The difference is they took the first step.
They built their first brand list.
They sent their first email.
They got their first reply.
And from there, everything else started to snowball.
You don’t need to figure out your entire business today. You just need to commit to 30 minutes.
Summary: Your 30-Minute Brand List System
- Focus on the biggest, evergreen categories.
- Spend 30 minutes a day capturing brand names.
- Use tools like Keepa, Jungle Scout, or Helium 10 to check demand.
- Organize with a color-coded spreadsheet.
- Follow up consistently with respectful emails.
- Build momentum by showing up daily.
If you stick with this system, you’ll be amazed at how quickly your brand list grows—and how real opportunities start showing up in your inbox.
Ready to Take the Next Step?
If this clicked with you and you’re serious about building a real ecommerce business, we’d love to help you dive deeper.
We’re hosting a free workshop where we’ll walk you through this process in detail, show you live examples, and answer your biggest questions about becoming a successful online seller.
👉 Click here to join the waitlist for our next free workshop
Don’t wait until “someday.” Your 30 minutes a day can start right now.