Review of Niching Up

[J M Kim]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Niching Up" by Chris Dreyer.]

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3 out of 5 stars

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Niching Up: The Narrower the Market, the Bigger the Prize by Chris Dreyer serves as part autobiography, part self-help, and part marketing or business guide. As the founder and CEO of personal injury law SEO agency, Rankings.io, Dreyer walks the reader through how he both found his niche and realized the value of niching (“niching” being essentially specializing in a certain product, business, or market). He is very forthright with the hardships of niching, but hopes to convince the reader that there are far more benefits that outweigh the negatives.

The idea of niching is somewhat naturally counterintuitive. We often think that aiming to meet the most needs of as many people as possible will make us successful. What I like about this book is that Dreyer essentially proves the old adage, “jack of all trades, master of none.” If you can master and become an expert in one area, you are most likely to find success because you will be a rare supplier in that area of demand. I also appreciate that Dreyer is honest in saying that niching is not for everyone. It gives him much more credibility than an author trying to sell a one-size-fits-all solution.

What I didn’t like was that it was so specific to entrepreneurship. Dreyer does talk about how he niched up in some of his personal hobbies (a collectible card game, high school basketball, online poker tournaments), but as a “walkthrough,” the book is geared more toward business owners and entrepreneurs. I suppose you could adapt some of the ideas to personal and non-business endeavors, but as someone who is not and does not plan to become a business owner, I would have liked to read about his recommendations and advice on niching up in other domains.

I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars. It’s a quick, easy read, but (perhaps not ironically) it is niched for a specific audience. It is well written, so I rated it higher than a two, but due to its specificity, it is not a must-read for most readers, so I could not rate it a four or five.

This book will most appeal to business owners, entrepreneurs, content creators, or those looking to start their own businesses. It could also appeal to lovers of autobiographies, since it’s an interesting and entertaining look at how Dreyer got to where he is today. I would recommend this book for anyone seeking guidance and direction in their career or business aspirations.

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Niching Up
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