The Tale of Two Drivers

Set The Scene

I am in San Jose, California, at an intense training to help me deliver more value through my business. My buddy Zion, founder of The Triple Threat Artist, joined me as well, and we’ve been having power lunches to digest and process the information we’ve learned.

Not having a car, we’ve relied on Lyft to taxi us around to our lunchtime adventures. We found this kind of cool place, called Rok, about a 7 minute car ride from our hotel. Rok is unique in that it serves your steak on a 700 degree volcanic rock, and it literally cooks in front of you, giving you total control of your taste experience. We enjoyed it so much, we actually had lunch here two days in a row.

Meet Our Two Drivers

On each day, we had two different Lyft drivers, both drove a Prius. So we are all clear, these are two people who drive for the same company, in the same city, in the same style of car. Lots of similarities, and some pretty glaring differences. Check this out.

Driver number one, we’ll call Gus. Gus picked us up, and right from the start, I could tell we were in for an adventure. Looking through the rearview mirror at us, Gus looked perplexed and asked us if we were twins. We had some fun with it, and said yes, at first. Zion and I do look similar in the right light. We all had a good laugh. “Well, you do look a lot alike, but you’re fatter,” Gus said, looking at me. That led to some bantering back and forth, and while offended, that’s not actually the point of this story. I’ll revisit my thoughts on that in a different post.

Did He Just Call Me Fat?

In the first 45 seconds of our ride, Gus has managed to violate a pretty serious social boundary, commenting on ones weight. The rest of the ride, Gus commentated on how poor business was, and how he could barely survive driving in the San Jose area. He asked if we were in tech, and without really hearing our answer (no, by the way) he told us about his big business idea that he still wanted to do, even though the sharks from Shark Tank had tried and failed. That didn’t matter, he had to try something, because business was hard, and there was no way he could make it just driving around here, because company policies restricted him, there were too many other drivers, and yadda...yadda...yadda.

This Guy Is Hustlin'

Meet Pete, our second driver, the following day. Admittedly still not the best conversation starter, talking about the legalization of sports betting, but way better than being called “fat.” Pete’s energy was completely different. He was engaging, and loved to talk about his business as a driver. In fact, he loved the living he could make doing this. What’s more, Pete doesn’t even live in this area at all. He lives in San Diego. Pete flies up here, every week, rents a room on Air BNB, and stores his car, and still makes enough money to support his family back in San Diego. Pete hustles, and says he’ll work sometimes up to 12 hours per day to hit his goals, but this beats working in an office any day. His income is between $300-$400 per day, and you can tell he enjoys his life and what he does.

Who Do You Want To Be?

How many times do you see the Facebook group notification that our very own Grumpy Gus has posted in another notary forum? We can’t help but read them. Another post about how terrible the business is. How awful newbies are. How hard it is to find decent paying clients. How E-closings are going to destroy our business.

As mobile notaries and loan signing agents, we have our share of the Grumpy Gus’, Negative Nancy’s, and all kinds of naysayers. Sometimes, their voices are the loudest. But, I assure you, as loud as their voices may be, they aren’t the only voice to be heard. There are thriving notaries out here, that love their business, and the people in it. And that shines through and perpetuates even more connections and business.

Perception IS Reality

Sometimes your perception of yourself and your business is the ONLY difference between you and the competitor that is killing it. It’s true that perception is reality, so if you want to change your reality, change your perception. One of the best ways to start that, is to leave the notary forums that are full of negativity. Don’t worry, there are plenty of positive ones out there, so just keep hunting until you find one that resonates with you.

And then, fill your mind with the thoughts & actions of a thriving six-figure notary, not a Grumpy Gus who doesn’t believe he’s going to make it anyway. If you don’t believe this will work, why are you here anyway? Why not believe it, and then do it? You’re finally in a totally legitimate business that you can be absolutely proud of, that gives you the flexible schedule you’ve always wanted, and the chance to earn as much income as you want. It’s time to get excited about your business, and let it show.

Somewhere in this city, there is someone who needs your services. Your job, today, is to find that person.

If you'd like more information about how I built a multiple six-figure mobile notary and loan signing business, order my free report here.