THERE are some people who can pull a crowd and gain rapid fame on social media with their burst of confidence in highlighting aspects of their lives, and one of those persons is Michael Graham.

He has become quite popular on TikTok, doing reviews for local restaurants, fast-food places and other small businesses and their products primarily in the city.

Graham is a teacher by profession, but he has exited the formal classroom teaching at schools and established his own small businesses. His TikTok content entails his reviews of foods at eating houses in Guyana and he has been gaining rapid followers.

Graham’s TikTok fame came when he started going out to dine alone and recording his experiences. Since it was well-received, he thought, why not make it into a business? The idea of earning was conceptualised after he posted a few videos on TikTok, and he was encouraged to do more.

Graham told Pepperpot Magazine that he would sometimes take his brother along to do the videos via his cell phone or he would go solo.“Since I started doing reviews for restaurants and food places, I have been getting daily bookings and I believe that my prices are reasonable with $15,000 and $10,000 packages,” he said.

He added that he would do food reviews at restaurants and products, be it soaps, pedicure, skincare products, and just about anything else that needs to be showcased to boost the business.

Graham stated that he would be offered product samples or use of a service which he is required to use and review his experience. He noted that when he visits a restaurant, he indulges in the food and talks about the general ambience of the place as well as the food, its taste and the presentation and service.

“I have five bookings pending, and I will do the reviews even though it is time-consuming, but I live it. Talking honestly about services, products, places and foods is my thing and I have gained enough confidence to be able to execute that in an honest and respectable manner,” he reasoned.

Graham is from North East La Penitence, Georgetown and has found his way despite challenges in life. Now, he has two successful small businesses to his name.

He told the Pepperpot Magazine that he always had his way, charisma, and finesse, so it was easy to write reviews and be assertive. Graham pointed out that it was during a rough patch in his life that he realised that he had to do more to become self-driven and go out there and showcase his talents.

“I am a self-starter as well, so I don’t like to start something I cannot finish or see to the end because I cannot handle failures. Even though I am not a perfectionist, I do succeed,” he said.

Although Graham had a TikTok presence for years, his content was not initially centred on reviews. But today, he has gained recognition for his reviews on the social media platform and he believes that he has some leverage.

He has had some reviews for free, which he did on his own while going out to dine, but he started earning from the reviews a month ago when he received bookings.

“I want more. Who doesn’t like making money doing something they absolutely love? It can be any business, be it large or small. I will do the review,” Graham said.

‘Talking the talk’

The 31-year-old told the Pepperpot Magazine that he has established his own language school, Fluency Express, an online teaching programme of foreign languages such as French, Spanish, Portuguese and English.

Graham stated that the classes are on Zoom (virtual) with no classroom presence. He also offers private lessons based upon request, including reading and phonics, Mathematics and Spanish for children.

He related that he also offers translation services at Fluency Express. His online school started four years ago when he quit public school teaching as a qualified teacher who taught for 14 years.

Graham reported that Fluency Express started just before COVID-19, and when the pandemic hit Guyana, he went online, which was convenient without any face-to-face learning.

He noted that he has five staffers, and each module takes three months to complete Level 1 of the language courses with two modules.

Graham related that while teaching in the public school system, he taught at all levels and realised he was good with children.

“To be successful you have to set goals and work towards achieving them to remain marketable to earn as a self-employed individual,” he said.