FRANKLIN, Ohio (WDTN) — A local man has become a viral sensation, gaining millions of social media followers by helping people fix their home appliances.

Before his newfound social media fame, Derrick Dennis says he was heading down a destructive path.

“Sixteen years ago I became an IV heroin addict. I spent the next five years losing everything I ever had. In 2011, it took almost dying to save my life,” said Dennis.

Dennis also spent several years in prison and was homeless for a period of time. After getting clean, he says he found a steady job delivering household appliances. In his spare time, he learned to fix and flip broken appliances as a way to make some extra money. For fun, he posted a short video of the repair process to TikTok.

The content generated millions of views in a short amount of time. Now known to his followers as “Derrickwith2rs,” he’s quickly become the “go-to” person on social media for appliance repairs.

His viral fame has allowed him to move into a new storefront and grow his business. Derrick says he wants to be a mentor and share what he’s learned with others who may be struggling financially to create a side hustle.

“I had to learn everything the hard way,” said Derrick.

“It’s a simple how to find a dryer on the side of the road, pick it up in the bed of your truck or trailer, take it to your house and fix it and sell it for $150 because people throw away money all day long.”

You can check out Dennis’ TikTok here and his YouTube channel here.