How he finds $1M+ CPG startup ideas before anyone else using Ahrefs and Manus AI

March 19, 2025

AI Summary

5 min read

Ashwin, a branding and design agency founder who has launched multiple consumer brands, walked through his process for identifying CPG opportunities that others miss. The conversation centered on using data tools to de-risk product decisions before investing time and money, and on the psychology of positioning a brand for an underserved audience. The core insight: distribution strategy should drive product decisions, not the other way around.

Using search data to gauge category demand

Ashwin starts with Ahrefs, an SEO tool, to evaluate whether a product category has genuine demand and how hard it would be to capture it. He types in a keyword like "electrolytes" and looks at two numbers: monthly search volume and keyword difficulty on a scale from 0 to 100. High search volume tells him people are actively looking for products in that space. High keyword difficulty—88 for electrolytes—tells him the top spots on Google are locked up by established players, making organic SEO a multi-year, expensive play for a newcomer.

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What you'll learn

1 (00:00) **Episode Introduction** - Host Greg introduces guest Ashwin, a branding and physical product expert who uses data tools to find CPG opportunities.
2 (03:32) **Using Ahrefs to Gauge Category Demand** - Ashwin demonstrates how Ahrefs reveals search volume and keyword difficulty for a product category.
3 (14:56) **Using Particle to Analyze Competitor Sales** - Ashwin shows Particle, a tool that reveals e-commerce sales data for private brands.
4 (18:24) **The Case for (and Against) Physical Product Businesses** - Ashwin argues physical products are brutally hard but offer a unique marketing education.
5 (21:11) **Differentiation Strategy: Branding and Positioning** - Using "magnesium glycinate" as a case study, Ashwin shows how to stand out in a crowded category.
6 (28:52) **Bootstrapping a CPG Product** - How to test a physical product idea without spending a fortune.
7 (33:40) **The Relentless Research Method** - Ashwin's process for developing a strong point of view before building anything.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

I’m joined by Ashwinn Krishnaswamy, an expert in launching and growing consumer brands, where we discuss how he evaluates market opportunities and creates unfair advantages. We discuss various tools for market research including Ahrefs for keyword analysis, Particl for competitor sales data, and AI tools for product design. Ashwinn emphasizes that entrepreneurs should work backward from distribution channels rather than focusing solely on product development.

Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
03:45 - Ahrefs tool for keyword research
15:08 - Particl for analyzing competitor sales data
18:52 - Why start a CPG brand
21:05 - How to stand out in crowded categories
24:57- Opportunities in Branding for Older Adults
28:40 - Bootstrapping Your Product Idea
33:56 - Researching Your Market and Competitors
36:52 - Manus AI for automating market research
39:58 - Distribution is everything.

Key Points:

• Ashwinn shares tools and strategies for evaluating market opportunities for physical products and brands
• Tools like Ahrefs and Particle provide valuable data on search volume, competition, and sales trends
• AI tools like Manis can now automate much of the market research process that previously cost thousands
• Distribution strategy should come before product development, not vice versa

1) First, understand that DISTRIBUTION is everything.

"First-time founders focus on product, second-time founders focus on distribution."

The hard truth? Many subpar products CRUSH IT because they nail distribution and operational excellence.

Always work BACKWARDS from how you'll acquire customers!

2) Use Ahrefs to evaluate category demand and competition

Type any keyword to see:
• Monthly search volume (market size)
• Keyword difficulty (competition level)
• Seasonal trends
• Geographic distribution

This helps you VALIDATE demand before building anything!

3) Look for geographic OPPORTUNITIES in the data

When Ashwinn checked "electrolytes" he found:
• 74% of searches from English-speaking Western countries
• Only 3% from India, Philippines

This reveals potential to build "Element for Germany" or other untapped markets where trends haven't diffused yet!

4) For physical products, use Particle to spy on competitors

This tool shows:
• E-commerce sales data for brands
• Best-selling SKUs
• Category trends

Crucial insight: Often 90% of revenue comes from just 4 SKUs!

5) The REAL opportunity in physical products?

They force you to become EXCEPTIONAL at marketing.

"The bleeding edge of marketing happens in consumer products because it's SO HARD to get attention and convince someone to part with their dollars."

It's a marketing masterclass in real-time.

6) How to stand out in crowded categories:

Study the competition obsessively! Ashwinn showed how most magnesium supplements look generic an