High school students have important decisions to make after graduating, and those decisions can be life-altering. Do you want to go to college? Find a 9-to-5 job? Start your own business? Brenda Machuca of Los Angeles, California, tried all three — and found success working as an independent Notary Public.
While Brenda’s decisions were individual and personal, her chosen path led to finding success as a Notary Public, just like tens of thousands of other Americans who made the same decision at different stages in their life. Being a Notary has definitely been elevated to a full-time gig if you’re cut out for it.
After graduating high school, Brenda tried several different ways to earn a living. She took a few college classes, worked at a UPS store and did some administrative work for a construction company — which is where she first became a Notary. But like many others, she found a traditional office job wasn’t what she wanted in the long-term — she wanted to start her own business.
“I think a lot of the younger generation are eager to do their own thing when it comes to their careers,” she said. “You don’t want to work 9 to 5 every day. Being your own boss and building your own company gives you flexibility and the opportunity to set your own hours, all while making money at the same time.”
Why Notary work is a great starting career
While researching what type of business would best suit her, Brenda read about mobile Notary and Notary Signing Agent work, and thought they would be a great fit for her. She gave 3 main reasons:
- It’s easy to become a Notary
- You can set your own work hours and schedule
- It gives more flexibility to balance work and personal commitments
“With lots of people buying and selling homes, and all those loan documents having to be notarized, I thought it would be a great opportunity for me to branch out,” she said.
Brenda started out small, offering mobile Notary services for friends. She then expanded to full-time mobile Notary work along with occasionally taking on loan document assignments. In her early days, she strove to provide great experiences for her first customers — and that paid off when they referred her to other people. Today, she’s a successful entrepreneur with her own business, MFE Services.
“I believe word of mouth is most important for a Notary’s success,” Brenda said. “If you provide excellent service, and your customers talk to someone else who needs a Notary, they will recommend you.”
The need for Notary services during COVID-19
When the COVID pandemic hit, many people’s careers were stalled by quarantines and workplace shutdowns — but Brenda found to chance to serve more people than ever.
Thanks to her professional reputation, she was flooded with messages from people asking her to come to their homes to notarize documents.
“I think a lot of businesses that normally offered Notary services were closed, so during the pandemic it was a lot easier to ask a Notary to come to you,” she said. “It’s like online shopping — you just go to your tablet and contact a Notary to come to your house. You don’t have to put on your shoes and go out.”
Plus, Brenda said many of her customers preferred her to come to their homes because it gave them more privacy. “I used to work at a UPS store, and people worried about other customers seeing documents they needed notarized.” Having a Notary come to your house means less worry about privacy, she said.
Looking forward to new business opportunities
Though pandemic restrictions have been easing off in many parts of the country, Brenda says she expects to stay busy with Notary work. Many of her customers have gotten used to having her visit their homes to notarize instead of going out to a bank or mailbox service store, and she predicts they will continue to contact her when they need notarizations. She is also an ordained wedding officiant, and offers wedding services for LGBTQ couples.
“I think the demand for Notary services is going to continue into 2022,” she said. “People need things notarized every day. Whether it’s super-important or something simple, like a parental consent for a kid’s field trip. Right now, I’m really happy with where I’m at.”
David Thun is the Assistant Managing Editor with the National Notary Association.