Updated 2-20-24. Building your own Notary business is an exciting but sometimes intimidating experience. There are so many questions and so much information out there. One of the most important questions for any new mobile Notary is, “How do I create and sustain business success?”
Most thriving Notary entrepreneurs understand that the best way to build a successful Notary business is by embracing 3 different lines (or “tiers”) of work:
- General Notary work
- Loan signings
- Non-Notary work
Let’s review each one and how you can apply simple steps to profit from each tier.
General Notary work
General Notary work means traveling to clients to notarize documents that are not related to real estate transactions. This includes everything from powers of attorney, trust documents, healthcare-related documents, auto title transfers and many more.
This tier is the easiest way to begin building a Notary business because of its simplicity. It requires no extra qualifications other than your Notary commission. Finding general Notary work involves marketing yourself to your local community, which you can do in several ways.
One of the most popular forms of marketing for general Notary work is creating a free Google business page. This gives you a presence on the internet, which is crucial for any business.
In today’s business environment, customers usually do an internet search when looking for a local service. It’s where potential customers usually first connect with your business. Having your Notary business listed on Google will increase your visibility to your local community and therefore increase your clientele.
You can also advertise yourself as available for general Notary work by using social media, business cards, print mail, and of course, word of mouth.
When it comes to performing general Notary work, it can be a bit intimidating as there are so many kinds of documents you may be asked to notarize. But remember, as the Notary, the type of document does not matter. Your job is to perform the requested notarization.
A few things to remember when you are completing a notarization:
- Verify the client’s identity
- Read the Notary wording first before you begin filling it out to prevent any errors.
- Follow the procedures for the notarization that are set by your state
Completing general Notary assignments is a great way to build your confidence in the Notary industry before jumping into the next tier — completing loan signings.
Loan signings
The most common and perhaps the most intimidating tier of building your Notary business is jumping into loan signings. Notaries who do this type of work are known as Notary Signing Agents or Loan Signing Agents. Signing Agents usually are expected to have additional certifications specific to the mortgage industry in addition to their Notary commission. These certifications can include an annual background screening and additional training.
Signing Agent certifications are not required by state or federal law, but many lenders and title companies will only work with Signing Agents who are certified.
As a Signing Agent, you will receive assignments from signing services, title companies and mortgage companies to conduct signings for mortgage and real estate transactions. One of the best parts of being a Signing Agent is that you can accept or decline orders at any time without being penalized.
Once you accept an order, your responsibilities typically will include:
- Confirming the appointment with the borrower/signer
- Printing the documents
- Traveling to the signer’s home to execute the paperwork
- Delivering the completed documents back to the title/mortgage company.
Acquiring clients and loan signing assignments can be a task in itself, but rest assured they are out there and are waiting to use your services. I recommend first getting registered with Snapdocs, a leading technology platform that connects Notaries with title and mortgage companies nationwide. Loan signing assignments are a consistent and typically higher-paying portion of the Notary business.
As you gain experience, you can begin to market yourself to signing services and title companies directly.
Non-Notary work
The last tier of building a successful Notary business is adding non-Notary services to your profile. Now, this tier is optional, but a lot of Notaries tend to add it to increase their business income.
Non-Notary work means that you are performing services that do not require notarization. For example, a common non-Notary task that many Notary businesses perform is field inspections. Different kinds of companies may contact you to have you complete field inspections in your area. This may include simply taking pictures or administering a questionnaire and reporting back to the client.
Other popular non-Notary services include fingerprinting services, courier services and apostille services. I would recommend looking into these different options if you are interested in adding more revenue for your Notary business. Remember, this is your business, so you can run it however you see fit as long as you abide by your state’s laws.
All 3 tiers can help you build a successful Notary business in any state. Be sure to do your research before implementing any of these tiers, and be mindful of the information you get in online groups and forums, as different states may have different stipulations when it comes to what you’re allowed to do.
For example, some states allow Notaries to officiate weddings while other states do not. There are also lots of resources and organizations available to help you if you need guidance along the way, such as the National Notary Association and Notary2Notary. I wish you the best in building a successful Notary business for yourself.
Vanessa Terry, owner and head trainer at Notary2Notary, has over 10 years of experience building successful businesses nationwide. After finding her own six-figure success as a Notary trainer and entrepreneur, she launched Notary2Notary to empower those all over the country to start their own business. Vanessa coaches her Notary students on these three tiers to help others build their successful Notary signing agent businesses across the country.
