Maybe this is not the answer you are looking for, but trust me, this is what has worked for practically all successful vendors:
To be a successful vendor, first, be a successful affiliate. By knowing what it takes to be a good affiliate, you'll know what you will need to do as a vendor and what you need to provide your affiliates to rank well in the marketplace.
Other than that, you can try linking with established people on CB and setting up JVs. With the ability to set up custom contracts on CB, this is now much easier. E.g you can have a person in charge of copyrighting, another one in charge of affiliate recruitment etc... and you can pay them in % s of the profits, if you don't have cash upfront.
But trust me, it will really be worthwhile learning about being an affiliate and making good money as an affiliate, before trying your hand at being a vendor.
Hope this helps a bit,
Mancar