02 — Product Opportunity & Sourcing Engine

A validation system for finding, filtering, and costing product opportunities before they become expensive inventory mistakes.

Positioning: Turn product ideas into evidence-backed opportunities before committing cash.

Numbered path

1. Product Fit Map
   1. Define Product Fit Criteria — Score each idea against demand, simplicity, compliance, defensibility, shipping profile, returns risk, and margin potential.
   2. Read Keyword Demand Signals — Use search demand, competitor depth, review counts, price bands, and seasonality to judge whether the market deserves deeper work.
   3. Run the Friction and Risk Scan — Identify category restrictions, fragile dimensions, high return drivers, claim risk, and hidden operational complexity before sampling.
2. Supplier & Landed Cost Validation
   1. Screen Suppliers Like Operators — Qualify suppliers on capability, communication, certifications, sample quality, terms, packaging, and responsiveness.
   2. Build the Landed Cost Stack — Model unit cost, packaging, freight, duty, prep, storage, returns, launch spend, and cash cycle in one decision view.
   3. Write the Opportunity Decision Memo — Summarize evidence, assumptions, risks, expected contribution margin, cash requirement, and the exact next decision.

Outcomes

• A product fit scorecard
• A supplier qualification screen
• A landed cost and go/no-go memo

Resource map

• Numbered source/resource index for this track.