This Industry is Ripe for Innovation & Change

You can listen to this blog on YouTube Here

One of the most dangerous ways of thinking for a small business is, “that’s the way we’ve always done it.” A dangerous pitfall, for sure, but sometimes it feels like it’s the mantra for this ancient notary industry. 

Oh sure, we’re coming around, finally after a thousand years or so: ballpoint pens, gel pens, electronic signatures, Remote Online Notarization, In-person Electronic Notarization, and now even electronic notary journals. 

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. In an industry with 4.5 million participants, most of whom are unaware of the potential contained in their notary commission, innovation & change is ripe and ready for the picking. 

This last June, in Las Vegas for the National Notary Association’s Conference, I had the honor of facilitating a panel discussion of eight industry pioneers and innovators that are literally changing the landscape for notaries like you and me. 

The Q & A style conversation lasted nearly 90 minutes with:

• Sandra Long, International speaker and best-selling author, and LinkedIn expert.
• Amy Seitz, founder of Cyberize-It, a Notary-centric RON platform well known for their customer service and Notary support.
• Judi Lawrence, trailblazing expert and teacher of all things apostille.
• Laura Biewer, notary law expert, coach, NNA trainer, and soon to be best selling author.
• Sue Hope, enthusiastic founder of Notary Assist accounting software & marketing. 
• Nick Colvill, the industrious founder of Jurat, Inc and the Notary eJournal.
• Jennifer Neitzel, the relationship-driven creator of SAM- Signing Agent Marketing. 
• And I even got to speak up on occasion and share my thoughts on innovation and diversification.

These last four speakers, myself included, survived the edit room crunch to turn an hour and a half conversation into a thirteen minute video. You can watch it above or on Youtube.  

It’s thirteen minutes that could inspire your next big idea. 

Nick, Jen, Sue, me- we’re just regular notaries who saw a need. We nailed it…then scaled it.You can do it too.  As the market ebbs and flows, this is time for creation. 

And in this video, you only get to see 50% of the speakers and less than half the conversation and wisdom shared. I think that's what they mean by 80% of life is just showing up. The live event was life-changing for some of the notaries in attendance. 

As part of your business strategy, you should have at least five notary events on your calendar-both online in-person events count. Use these events to increase skills, industry knowledge, and build your network. 

Notaries need notaries. 

For support. For referrals. For friendship. And sure, for the occasional notarial act too. 

There are events for every budget and style. Get connected. The upcoming Notary Symposium is November 12 (festivities begin the evening of 11/11). Hal freakin' Elrod is the keynote speaker at Symposium this year. You rarely find international caliber speakers like Hal at notary events. Get a ticket to be there. It's online. No travel expenses. 

Have an idea you want to share? Are you an innovator and creator? Please comment below and provide a link to your creation.

Bill Soroka is the founder of Notary Business Builder, an elite community of professional Notary entrepreneurs that are committed to building a successful business in any economy by leveraging authentic sharing technology and cultivating deeper relationships.