I’m finally at a point again where I can start doing more intense exercise. The last few months, I’ve been walking the dogs every day, but anyone with dogs knows who really sets the pace there. 

And I can get the occasional bike ride in too, after recently being gifted a periwinkle adult tricycle (basket and all). I am not exactly Captain Graceful, so my family thought the extra support & balance would serve me better. After I wrecked and hurt my knee on the test drive of the last two-wheeled bike, in the first 30 seconds no less, I am not arguing anymore. They know me well. 

Exercise has never been a strong suit of mine anyway. I am sweat-averse. Not allergic, I am just…not...that into it. If I could burn calories just by thinking, reading, or worrying about stuff that will probably never happen, I would be all bones by now.

Since that doesn’t work, I’ve been on the lookout for something that could get me back into shape, at a slow, steady pace, and might also be fun too. 

I ra...

I Almost Died That Day

You can listen to this blog on YouTube Here

The idea was to rent an AirBnB in Washington for six months until I found a house to buy. I scored with a pet friendly home right on the water in Shelter Bay, a small coastal community in La Conner. 

My host, Annie, is delightful and lives just a few streets over. She and her husband are in their early 60’s, and while they love Shelter Bay, they plan to move when they retire, seeking a more… vibrant community. While not officially a retirement community, it has the vibe.

Oh, okay, I’ll just say it! It’s like heaven’s waiting room. They even have a street they call “widow’s lane.” It’s sad, but…true. 

Several of my neighbors are well into their 90’s and still driving, watering plants, and one guy even works on his own roof. Let’s just say I am on the younger end of the spectrum, even at 45 years old. 

Which is why what happened on August 27 really caught me, and my neighbors, by surprise. No one expected the ambu...

You can listen to this blog on YouTube here

See what I did there for this Halloween post? 

We’re wrapping up another month, today in fact, October 31, 2022. I checked my book sales from October 1 thru right now, and this is what I found:

 1,100 notary books sold…in just 31 days. 

If you have an inner critic like mine, you might be frozen with thoughts like:

• “Who the hell are you to write a book?”
• “No one will read a book about that?”
• “You’re NOT an expert!”
• “You’re not a good writer.”

That’s just negative chatter from an inner voice trying to protect you from heartbreak and discomfort. That’s the ego’s job-to protect the status quo. Change is scary to our ego. And writing and publishing a book can change everything.

It did for me. And it lit a fire inside. I had hoped to publish two books this year, but will likely just publish one. Next year? Big goals again. One, two, maybe three more books. 

What about you? Do you have a story inside you that can help someone else? ...

I'm not much for fads. It's not always a conscious decision, but it seems that I come into them either before their fads, or (more likely) after their fads.

Still, I think the Spirit Halloween Meme could be an opportunity to have some fun, even self-deprecating fun, to help spread the word about your notary business. 

Below, is the Michael Myers sized stab I took at my own meme. And then after that, I included the original image that everyone else is using to create their memes. 

I used Canva to create this. Simply download the original image I provided. Upload it into Canva. If you have the premium version of Canva, use the background remover feature to "clean" your image. Add a textbox for what is included in the costume package. Then add a text box for what is sold separately.

Have fun with this! 

You could  add branding, phone numbers, etc, but I've found that it takes away from the fun and authenticity. Try doing it just because. See what happens. 

Feel free to share however...

You can listen to this blog on YouTube here

Business Plans Are Useless.

Okay, okay, okay,! Before you throw your right hook, hear me out. When it comes to business plans, I subscribe to Eisenhower’s perspective: 

“In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.”

Formal business plans can prove useful if you want government contracts, or you’re trying to get a loan or grant, but when it comes to your day-to-day operations as a solo-preneur, it’s of minimal impact. It’s so inconsequential, in fact, that I’d call it a distraction. Or, what Steven Pressfield would call, “resistance.” 

Like spending months developing a logo, or a website, or choosing the perfect name for your company, a business plan can act as an excuse to avoid doing the actual work. 

The road to hell (and failure) is paved with business plans. 

Let’s be real. Some people spend weeks, maybe months-even years- developing a business plan that, frankly, is never going...

You can listen to this blog on YouTube here

We work so hard to fill our pipeline with appointments. Think about all the energy, money, and effort we put into:

• Cultivating referral relationships
• Building websites
• Having social media pages
• Adding more directory listings
• Signing up with hiring companies
• Creating a Google Business Profile
• Networking meetings and events
• Creating and distributing content
• Training (so we’re good at what we do)

All this work to get our phone to ring and ding, and then what? 

Most notaries finish an appointment and then just hop right back on the hamster wheel again and start all over, hustling for their next customer-another new customer. 

Now, there’s nothing wrong with new customers, don’t get me wrong. But they're expensive to acquire. The Harvard Business Review suggests that it is 5-25 times more expensive to acquire a new customer than to sell your services to an existing client. 

Your database of previous notary clients is a gold mine....

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...

You can listen to the audio of this blog on YouTube Here

Taking my own advice, I started diversifying my own mobile notary work back in Phoenix (before the move to Washington). In the Valley of the Sun, we’ve been insulated from the economic shift (until very recently), as most of my clients are home builders, or specialize in commercial transactions, but I wanted to get ahead of what’s to come. 

I asked myself which appointments I’ve enjoyed most through the years, and which I thought could also be the most lucrative, considering the legislative bindings in the state of Arizona. 

The answer: Living Trust Presentations.

These living trust presentations fall under the more general category of estate planning, but similar to loan signings, you can command a higher, bundled fee because you actually present documents, gather signatures, and perform notarization (if required). 

If you need some training on living trusts, last wills and testaments, powers of attorney, etc (all estate pl...

You can listen to the audio version of this blog on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/uHk-hw0IvQI

Think about the three basic tools you must have for every Notary appointment. I am not talking about all the things we consider a best practice to carry with you, or the fun office supplies we carry to make us more efficient or professional, Just the basics. 

What must you have to perform your duties as a Notary Public?

• Your Notary Seal
• A Pen
• The Notary Journal (even if your state doesn’t require it-come on, don’t get me started)
• Ink pad for fingerprints (if you’re in a state that requires it-okay, you get four things)

I remember being at the end of 14 or 15 hour days, at appointment number ten or eleven, exhausted, and just plain refusing to carry my Notary bag across even one more threshold. I’d grab three blue pens, my stamp, and my journal, and keep my fingers crossed that everything went smooth and easy for that appointment. I mean, worst case scenario, I may have to run out ...

You can listen to this blog on YouTube here

With a population of around 1,000 people, La Conner is the 386th largest city in Washington. And located on Morris Street, right next door to the best Mexican food in Washington, sits Rowdy Dog Antique Lighting.

Even in a charming town, such as La Conner, it was hard for me to picture myself even entering an entire store committed to antique lighting. As it is when shopping (which is rare for me), I feel like a crotchety old man, calculating the rent and labor expenses, judging product displays, and evaluating employee performance. I just wander around muttering, “How do these guys stay in business???”

Yep, I am turning into my grandmother.

But the allure of Rowdy Dog’s beautiful lamps, flirting, twinkling their little lights through the shop window was too much to deny, even for me. I found myself actually waiting for them to open up shop one Thursday morning at 11. I practically camped in the parking lot, like it was an iPhone launch or...