Welcome to the National Notary Association's annual conference!

Due to Covid19, this year's conference is 100% online and the festivities kicked off Monday, June 15 with a presentation by Laura Biewer and I.

You can watch the full replay of "Grow Your Business Through Collaboration" with the link above, courtesy of the NNA. 

It's such an honor to be able to share with you the strategies and mindset for collaborating, because I got to do so with on eof my absolute favorite collaborators, Laura Biewer. 

Collaborating really is an art form. It's an art that requires some fumbling around, and figuring some things out for yourself, your vision, and what it is exactly you want, and don't want, in a collaborator. 

Laura and I are able to share our experiences, tips, and some ideas on what you can do to create your own opportunities. Hopefully, this will be a guiding light on your journey.

Enjoy the show and thank you for all your support!

Resource Links:

NNA...

Do you ever wonder where all your dream clients are hanging out? 

Do you wish there was just one place you could go to find people that need your services? 

LinkedIn is about as close to that as you can get! It's like a round-the-clock networking event jam packed with your potential customers.

But how do you use it effectively?

If you're like me, the last thing you want is yet another social media platform to have to manage. Especially one that works differently than the others. Who has time to learn another thing???

But the reality is, as mobile notaries and loan signing agents, we must  find the time to learn LinkedIn. 

To help, my friend and fellow author, Sandra Long, popped in to see us last week and delivered a powerful presentation about how to use the platform. 

Sandra not only wrote the book, "LinkedIn for Personal Branding: The Ultimate Guide," but she also delivered the first-ever TedXTalk on the subject!!

I've included the full replay for...

Our Profiles in Ink series highlight the "origin stories" of mobile notaries and loan signing agents. I LOVE origin stories! 

I find it fascinating to hear why others have become notaries. And even more, I love to hear why they stay notaries. 

For the right person, this business can be a source of joy, passion, freedom, and unlimited income. 

Lisa Robinson is one of those people! She is clearly passionate about people and has found success within her first year, even after her first signing went south in a hurry. 

If you're reading this, and you haven't had your first signing yet because you're just getting started, or because you're terrified, you'll want to hear of her experience and she was able to overcome. 

Lisa shares a lot of her journey, as well as some resources she uses, and the links to which are down below:

Notary Assist Accounting Software for Notaries

The Daily Do's from Bill Soroka's Morning Mastery Program

The Sign & Thrive...

It was October of 2018. This was the first time I've ever cried openly on the internet. Probably won't be my last either. Not if everything goes right, that is. 

These are not tears of regret. In fact, I would say it is just the opposite. These are tears of gratitude. 

Just prior to this video, I had completed notarizations for a gentleman that was preparing to die. Let's call him Bob. He had a Last Will & Testament, some financial papers, and even a deed for property transfer, so I was thinking this was a standard estate planning appointment. 

Yay for responsible adults! 

So many from my own family have passed away without their affairs in order, so I always hold in awe people that plan this stuff ahead of time. 

But that wasn't Bob. He had not prepared ahead of time. And time was something he no longer had. He knew that, but they surprised me with that news when I arrived. 

Bob's house was filled to the brim with smiling faces and laughter....

The Not-So-Secret Way to Increase Your Loan Signing Income WITHOUT Driving All Over Town by Leveraging the Power and Possibilities of "In-house" Signing Appointments.

When I am in full "hustle-mode" as a mobile notary and loan signing agent, I've been known to drive 300 to 400 miles per day. I even remember a few times where I had to get TWO oil-changes in one month because I drove over 6,000 miles in a 30-day time period.

That's all fine and good for someone like me, that loves to drive. But what about you? Do you want to drive that much?

Chances are, you don't. And that's okay!

As a small business owner, you get the final say in what works for you and what doesn't. Afterall, there are lots of reasons that driving a lot may not work for you.

Top Reasons Notaries Don't Like to Drive

After talking to notaries all over the country on my daily mentor calls (book for free here), I hear all kinds of reasons y'all don't like to drive. Here are some of the most common:

• Wear and tear...

On this latest episode of Profiles in Ink, I interview California notary Matt Miller.

Matt is an experienced mobile notary and loan signing agent that has built his business with general notary work. 

He lends part of his success to automatic appointment scheduling software, like Acuity. This is allows his customers, or even potential customers, to book his notary and fingerprinting services when it is most convenient for them. 

Learn all about the strategy he uses to manage those appointments, and hear even more about the passion Matt has for helping the notary industry in this video.

Click here to explore Acuity

Tired of agonizing over what you’re supposed to post on social media for your mobile notary and loan signing business?

You are not alone!

Notaries all over the country struggle to create valuable blog or social media posts because it isn’t really crystal clear what we are supposed to be talking about. In fact, not very much about our business is ever crystal clear. 

Still, in a relationship-based business, where your customers work with who they know, like, and trust, it is important that you give them as many chances as possible to:

Get to know you.

Maybe even like you.

And, certainly, start to trust you.

But short of cyber-stalking them and becoming “besties,” how do you do that? In today’s modern age, content marketing and social media are King. Influencers, service-providers, and experts, in any industry, share valuable content, inspiring messages, and needed information, via email and various social media platforms. 

That’s how you...

I gave up on New Year's Resolutions long ago. These often just felt like pipe dreams for me, and those around me. It didn't take me long to realize that writing down a goal, or a dream (especially a materialistic one), and then tucking it into a drawer to be forgotten was not an effective method of creation.

Instead, I use a pretty complex system of vision statements, goal buckets, intentions, journals, calendars, and technology to keep my goals in the forefront of my mind every single day of the year. This has led to some extraordinary results. Sure, I've hit some epic goals, but more importantly, living life with intention and growth has helped me become someone I enjoy being around. And this has contributed to the constant, continuous, enjoyment of my primary aim in life, peace of mind.  

What does peace of mind look like to me?

I think "peace of mind" conjures images of monastic passivity, where we checkout of a world full of worries and responsibilities...

I love a business that keeps me focused, while also allowing me some space and time for exploring my other passions, hobbies, and ultimately, business ideas. 

Being a mobile notary and loan signing agent really allows for that. After to talking to thousands of other "multipotentialite" notaries around the country, it is clear that many of you feel the same. You've really found a way to tie some creative "sidehustles" into your notary biz.

Can you tell me more about them?

I created a brief survey about the various income opportunitis and service additions we cn make as a Notary Public. If you have two minutes to add your input and share your perspective, I would really appreciate it!

Click here to share your multiple streams of revenue anonymously

Almost every Thursday morning, Nina Penny joins the Members of the Sign & Thrive Notary Training Course and Community for a 15-30 minute training call about Reverse Mortgages.

Nina is a loan officer with the special designation of Certified Reverse Mortgage Professional (CRMP), of which there are less than 150 throughout the country. 

I thought I would share the recording of this week's call because it is shorter than most, and it really highlights the growth of this niche market. 

It was nearly two years ago that Nina and I started creating the industry's first Certified Reverse Mortgage Signing Professional training and exam process to help notaries better prepare for these nuanced signing appointments.

The demographics for reverse mortgage are senior citizens, so it takes a special, caring heart, to handle these signings best. We love the signing agents we have attracted to the program!

On this week's call, Nina shares some exciting news about the potential of...