Meet Norman Graham

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Norman Graham a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Norman, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?

Being an entrepreneur and a man of many hats, creativity is something I’ve noticed is needed now more than ever. In 2025, we are all just trying to make it day by day and as a creative, you might find a few people in the same field as you. Some get discouraged because they think their specific market is over saturated, but I feel there is no such thing. We all can be in the same field; however, my sauce is what makes my business and myself stand out compared to others. I keep creativity alive by seeing what the latest trends are and authentically making it my own. I look at my colleagues, see what they are not doing and use those as tools for my business. I jot down ideas (on paper… yes I’m old school) based on how I want my couples to see me professionally, while giving them pieces of me personally. I’m also old school when it comes to promoting myself, so I will also print out hard material (flyers, business cards, quarter flyers, etc.) to pass around, mail and or leave in establishments. Some of my ideas come off the multimedia I capture while at venues and at other events pertaining to my business. Once I remind myself that every photo, every video and even every blooper is content, I either use it or keep it for future purposes. One time I ripped my pants while heading to a notary signing and although it was embarrassing, I created a reel showing the ripped pants and asked others if they have experienced this. This allowed them to see that I am human, in addition to having a quick laugh (at my expense lol).

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

My name is Norman I. Graham, born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. I am a graduate from the University at Albany, where I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a graduate from the University of New Haven, where I have a Master’s of Science Degree in Criminal Justice. I love to plan my own trips (domestic and international), cook, watch tv, exercise, read (any genre, but science fiction) and binge watch Hulu when I’m free.

I am a traveling wedding officiant based in New Jersey. I started weddings by accident, actually doing a favor for another notary who double booked themselves. After taking one of the weddings from their plate and it being a hit, I decided to make this a thing. Not only do I officiate weddings in New Jersey, but various states and even overseas. With my Wed By Norm brand, I want couples to know their officiant is going to dress in his finest suit, in addition to being as comical or as sentimental as you need me to be. I want my couples to feel supported, loved and not only anticipate their reception, but anticipate their actual nuptials. I am a mobile notary, who assists clients in New Jersey and New York City. With this business, I decided to launch my own nationwide signing service, Graham Family Signing Service (allowing others to earn money with their notarial stamp without having to promote themselves).

With both wedding and notary brands, I mentor aspiring officiants and notaries in being better than when they started. I feel like giving back is essential to not only this business, but society as a whole. I have quite a few events in both aspects for business owners to network, be in the know about current events (business wise) and I attend conferences to continuously learn about their craft.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Qualities that have been impactful in my journey are the following: consistency, learning more about my craft on a weekly basis and connecting with fellow entrepreneurs. Having people to bounce ideas off of in the same trenches as you is helpful. You get to learn how to not make some of the same mistakes they did, while letting off steam with them before talking to a client who might not be the best. Learning more (listening to podcasts, watching YouTube videos or Instagram lives) has been helpful for me learning more about opportunities to expand business and make additional income. Getting out of your shell by going outside and attending networking events allows you to meet genuine people looking to assist. Not only may you rely on the assistance, but you also have to ensure you are offering your new colleagues something so it doesn’t appear as you are a taker and not a giver. Carving out time to work on your business is essential to having your consistency rate increase. I jot down a weekly to do list and ensure my businesses are on the list of things to tackle for the week. Signing up with my local Toastmasters International, Inc. has been helpful and allowed me to perfect my public speaking skills, confidence and way of thinking.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

For Wed By Norm, I am looking for wedding vendors to collaborate with. This includes resorts for destination weddings for couples looking to get married overseas. I am looking for venues domestically to be their preferred officiant. I am open to partnering with other vendors in the wedding industry (florists, bakers, videographers, photographers, etc.) to at times be a package deal when couples are looking for their dream team. I am looking for fellow officiants to add to my network in the event I have to pass a wedding to another officiant. For Notarize With Norm, I am looking to partner with title agencies, financial institutions, law offices, nursing homes and hospitals. I am also looking for other notaries nationwide to provide business for them in the event I am unable to perform notarial acts for prospective clients. My contact information is as followed:

[email protected] | [email protected]
732-630-6743

Contact Info:

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