Samantha Smith joins Bill on today's conversation about the unexpected journey of a Notary Public. Samantha shares her "evolution" from unemployed to thriving in balance with gainful employment and a mobile Notary entrepreneurial endeavor. With a commitment to "service first," Samantha has built community in a business that cultivates joy and revenue.

Contact Samantha using her resources Link, or going HERE.

Episode Highlights:

42:09 Samantha firmly believes you can serve your way to success as a Notary Public.

22:37 Sometimes the best way to recharge is to unplug.

43:31 If you're not evolving, you're dying. Keep growing!

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Bill Soroka (00:21):
Hello and welcome to the Sign and Thrive Podcast. I'm here with our very special guest today. Samantha Smith whom I met in the notary business many years ago now and is now the founder of Georgia notary network. And so much more, now a book author. And Samantha, I gotta tell you, I've been lookin...

Lori has a job and a family life that keeps her busy and fulfilled. And, she was looking for another passion project that could create another income flow when she discovered the career as a mobile notary and loan signing agent. Now, she balances it all and continues to grow and expand her business and enjoyment.

Guest Information:

Lori Morgan is the proud owner of "Sign Here and There Notary Services". She is also the founders of both the Level Up Notary Signing Agent Virtual Summit and the Notary Book Club. She’s worked in the industry as a commissioned Notary for over 8 years, based in Central Indiana. She’s passionate about encouraging newer Notaries. When she's not working or moderating a Notary-themed room on the Clubhouse app, Lori can be found traveling, attending live jazz shows or spending quality time with family and friends.

Notaries can connect with her via social media - Instagram or LinkedIN or Facebook

For info about the next Book Club Meeting, click HERE.

For...

You may know him from YouTube as, Griffin Notary, or Griff. He's my guest this week on the Sign & Thrive Audiobook Podcast. Our topic is Notary Compliance-both legally, and with compliance with our hiring companies. Griff shares his perspective and approach to integrity and cultivating relationships that are built on trust and fidelity.

Guest Information:

Owner of Griffin Notary Services since 2018. Started being a notary to help out the general public by providing an affordable option to get notarial services for those that do not have an account with a traditional bank. Moved into providing loan closing services once I understood the growth of the housing market in my area. Married with two sons, oldest son joined in the business in 2021. Teach notaries via my YouTube channel about being in compliant with state law and building proper relationships with those that need our services.

Visit Griffin Notary on YouTube

Episode Highlights:

13:32 Be part of the solution an...

You'll love this episode featuring Jennifer Cooper from California. She launched her Notary business in March of 2021 amid the pandemic and now has 90% of her loan signing business through escrow-direct relationships. Plus, she receives about 250 calls for general notary work every single month. Listen to how she did it!

Guest Information:

Jennifer Cooper is a wife, mom, and a full time notary loan signing agent as owner of JKC Mobile Notary. She's been in business since March 2021 and loves what she does. She's also started a Central California Notary Network group on Facebook that has 85 very active members. She's currently taking Judi Lawrence’s course to learn how to become an apostille agent and working hard on building lists and contacts. Jennifer is proficient at marketing herself and has begun teaching her Facebook group newbies how to do the same in their area.

You can learn more about Jennifer Cooper, or reach her here: HTTPS://jkcmobilenotary.com or 559-212-4706

The Notary industry is still ripe for innovation for those with the courage to step into it. On this first official episode of the Sign & Thrive Podcast (beyond the book narration), our sponsor, and CEO of Jurat, Inc, and creator of the Notary eJournal, Nick Colvill, joins me. Nick is one of us! Mobile Notary. Loan Signing Agent. Signing Company owner. and now, tech-preneur.

Try the Notary eJournal for 30 days for just $1 at www.NotaryCoach.com/ejournal

Episode Highlights:

7:02 This industry is ripe for innovation! Nick addressed two main concerns for Notary journaling- Inefficiency and fingerprint capture.

28:47 Plugging in to this work as a mobile notary and loan signing agent can help not only your clients, but you! Nick gets lit up by his customer interactions and even as he moves more towards tech CEO, he schedules loan signing appointments to keep him connected.

33:57 The Notary eJournal is usable in just about every state, including California. If you're looking for an...

I recently had the chance to interview the Notary's Notary, Laura Biewer, on my podcast, The SideHustle Lounge. 

One of the reasons I love to chat with Laura is that I inevitably walk away learning something new. Sometimes I learn notary stuff (obvi), and sometimes I learn about life, her perspective, and even how I show up to our relationship. I love that, and I consider Laura to be among my growth friends. 

In our podcast conversation, we not only address the Top Four Ways to Monetize Your Notary Commission in general, but we get to deep dive into five steps that will get your phone ringin' and dingin' for General Notary Work, or as Laura so rightly calls, Specialty Notary Work (Because there's nothing general about it!). 

Laura's first suggestion is to build relationships with referral sources, like attorneys or assisted living facilities. The fastest way to do that is to offer something of interest, or value to them, like a training or special service or informational piece. 

S...

It's my pleasure to interview John Holder on this edition of Profiles in Ink. 

John grabbed the bull by the horns as he entered the mobile notary and loan signing industry. 

He's built a thriving business for himself. Then he built the Kentucky Notary Network to help other notaries in his state connect and assist each other. Then he started a podcast. The he launched RonUniversity, a comprehensive resource and online training center that helps notaries navigate the murky waters of Remote Online Notarization. 

This industry is ripe for innovation AND for those who will take the initiative and create value by delivering products and services we need. 

I hope John's story inspires you as much as it did me.

Enjoy the show!

Which notary mistakes to avoid???

How 'bout, all of them, right? 

It would be quite the feat if we never made a mistake on anything, but it's just not realistic. We're human, we make mistakes. On top of that, we work in an industry not known for it's crystal clear laws and instruction, so we have lots of various interpretations of the same sentences.

Even with this murky nuance, there are things we, as notaries, can do to mitigate our errors. 

First, and foremost, adopt a reverence for this role you play in the integrity of our entire economic, social, and governmental system. This work matters. You matter. Take the time and effort to educate yourself on how to do this work well. Don't wing it, be the expert.

And then forever be the student. You will learn something new in this business every single day if you allow for it. 

I was honored to be on a panel with four other fabulous notary professionals that have adopted that commitment to learning and excellence, recently on the No...

"Should I Start With General Notary Work or Loan Signings? "

I am asked that question all the time, and I have a different perspective than others in the industry.  Many believe that you should be a great notary before you become a loan signing agent.

On the surface, that's hard to argue with.

But how do you become a great notary?

Experience.

Period.

Sure, you can study state laws, guidelines, primers, and courses, which, of course, helps you learn, but if you don't get an opportunity to apply your knowledge repeatedly, you're just going to forget it.

To me, that's the challenge with starting out in general notary work (GNW).

First, it takes longer to build your business and get volume because you have to build relationships, advertise, and optimize your digital presence.

Second, literally any human being in the world can create a document that requires notarization all willy-nilly. So if you're just starting out, you run the risk of stepping into all kinds of unusual situatio...

Nearly 500 notaries registered for The Abnormal Notary's (aka Tye Brown) Brunch and Learn event on Sunday, January 24. 

I was honored to be a part of it and share the screen with Sue Hope, a fellow notary and also founder of the incredible notary-specific bookkeeping software, Notary Assist, and with Suheily Figueroa, also a notary AND a tax preparer (and, gratefully, a member of our Sign & Thrive Community) with lots of experience with the IRS and tax filings. 

If you missed the two-hour live event, I have the replay HERE and at the bottom of this blog article for you. 

Grab some grub and a pen and paper because gems were dropped through the whole event! 

I LOVE geeking out about notary stuff with notaries that enjoy their business as much as I do. 

We kicked off the event with an in-depth presentation by Suheily on the importance of keeping your business funds separate from your personal funds. 

She also destroyed some misconceptions many notaries have about keeping records, an...