New Notary just starting out

[cNsa5]

@snyderamy09 Sorry to read about your difficulties receiving Signing Orders [SOs] from business entities.

Truly, launching a business within this business sector of the industry (like many entrepreneurial businesses) is a slog to get things going regarding SOs.

The YouTube videos hawking “it’s EASY PEASY to make $100K/year” has been debunked repeatedly . . .

Unfortunately, folks do still decide to “invest” in the used car salesman tactics of bait & switch! They tell you if you’re not receiving SOs to just launch a Signing Service & you’ll be living in a McMansion next week . . .

UGH!!

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This segment of the business industry has been in a strong downward spiral regarding volume of SOs and increasingly LOWER fees for many years, but especially since ‘post-COVID-19,’ etc.

I and the other sages on the Notary Cafe forum regularly endeavor to help new forum members grasp the reality of the unadulterated truth of the current state of this business sector - myriad variables in the financial & real estate markets are negatively affecting this industry.

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I’ll share a few helpful threads to provide you with excellent insights & guidance to help you make a viable business decision at this juncture. The data within these threads is not only helpful, it’s valid & has held true to many members across the entire US.

Here goes . . . as you’ll easily see there is clearly a plethora of data immediately available to assist in this regard. Here are only a few of the available helpful threads:

Why I haven’t received Signing yet

@Sunpeaches11 Based on your website, you’re located in FL. If you’re seeking the unadulterated truth in a response to your query, then please read onward. If, on the other hand, you’re seeking sugar-coated, misleading, & prevaricating statements, then by all means, please SKIP the remainder of this Reply . . . ====== STEP 1: There’s a paradigm shift that needs to occur when one charts their course to become a Business Owner by moving away from being an employee. If you’re CERTAIN that yo…

Temper your expectations

To preface this, I’ve been a lurker on these forums for quite some time and I’ve noticed a ton of expectations lately that seem too unrealistic. I’m a NSA out of Michigan and have been one for the past 7 years. I usually pull in at least 8k worth of business every month but it takes a LONG time to get to that point. I see a ton of newer notaries looking to make fast money or expecting SS or TC to come to them over seasoned notaries while they have very little experience. A few tips that I’d sug…

Starting to hate doing this work

I am just beyond frustrated with this industry. I do this as a part time gig to pay bills, I teach full time, but this industry is just asking for too much and pays too little. They really want me to do a refinance for 100 bucks that has 200 pages and want me to travel there. ALL the signing services are paying less. A refinance no matter how big should be no lower than 100 but these services constantly yelling me te the average is $80. Gas prices in my area are $3+. What idiots are out here doi…

I need help with calculating the true costs of doing business

It would be in your best interest to jot down all of the expenses associated with performing the services you provide within your service region to determine a baseline operating cost. Then, at that point, you can calculate the fees that will generate a net profit to determine if you’ll have a Profit or sustain a Loss at that rate. There are many items to consider within your Overhead calculations. Here are a few to get you started: • telephone expenses including cell phone equipment and month…

Finally..a reality check as to how much a notary earns

The NNA has completed a survey of income. Here’s the link: How much can I earn as a mobile Notary or Signing Agent? | NNA

My Initial Tips/Advice to New People

I hope the following helps you getting started If you’re going to set yourself up as a business, go to irs.gov and get an EIN - takes 5 minutes - NEVER NEVER NEVER give your personal social security number to anyone - use your EIN for all your notary work, including using it to report your notary income on our tax return; Set up a separate checking/banking account for your notary income - keep your personal finances and your business finances separate; Get some business cards and start …

Not Receiving Signing Orders & Wondering How to Check the SATURATION in Your Region?

Success (or the lack thereof) is HIGHLY dependent upon the location/region of the US for your home base. It’s a really GOOD idea to Research the “Find a Notary” segment of this website for the existent saturation in one’s current region. Here’s an image of that component of the Notary Cafe navigation ribbon: [image] Remember to access the EXPAND section for defining additional details: [image] The results from this Research you perform will be of great assistance in your business decisio…

Must You Complete A Training Course To Get Work?

I concur with the insights of LindaH-FL & mannie1950 (return to the teaching industry). Also, there are 2 recent posts by CherylM that leave the sugar-coating behind & Tells-It-Like-It-Is . . . Truly, anyone entering this business sector needs to change their mindset from that of an employee to that of a Business Owner. It’s a completely different paradigm and is managed differently as well. Best Wishes with your decision.

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REMEMBER to check the immediately available information found within the Notary Cafe database on multiple topics!

This information is a GOLDMINE!

Most members express that they find it difficult/NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE to locate the Search Function in order to access the wealth of information available within the database.

To be helpful, I’ve inserted an image for you & others [see below] to help members locate it to unlock the wisdom & knowledge of other members on the forums.

Accessing the database to locate information about potential clients has saved many of us an inordinate amount of time ‘chasing’ payments for Services professionally provided to potential non-payers . . .