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I’m sure it was quite the hullabaloo back in the day as Thomas Edison and Alexander Bell argued the best way to answer the newly invented telephone. To think we were just one creative ad campaign away from answering the phone as, “Ahoy!”, a nautical term Bell petitioned for. 

Alas, “Hello?” won the day and Thomas Edison had yet another big win to brag about. 

For 150 years people have been answering the phone the same way. 

Might it be time for a change? I think so. Especially for business owners like you and me. I am surprised at the number of notaries we call for jobs that still answer the phone with a simple hello. Nevermind that they’re using a greeting that has celebrated its centennial, but when I hear it I immediately wonder if I’ve dialed the right number. 

• Did I just call a professional business? 
• Can this person actually help me? 

I’d rather hear a...

 You can listen to this blog on YouTube here

"This is it" was the message from a seminar I once attended that helped me (gradually) realize that "someday" doesn't exist. If it was going to be, it was up to me...now. 

Some other singular concepts that emerged from conferences & conversations: 

• I can be angry at my father because he doesn't live up to my expectations, or I can love him the way he is and appreciate him for the gifts he does bring to my life. (Personal Development Seminar Phoenix)
• “Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity and change.” (Saw Brene Brown in Denver)
• There is no success without helping others. (Personal Development Workshop Phoenix)
• Email marketing is still king. (Anik Signal webinar)
• Home builders use their own escrow companies, or a strategic partner escrow company to close transactions. (Overheard through a cubicle Scottsdale)
• Success leaves clues. Pay attention to the clues. (Tony Robbins event...

Have you been "shoulding" all over yourself about getting your Medical Directives, Last Will & Testament, or even a Living Trust in place? Me too! Even as an advocate of the importance of these documents, I've found myself dragging my feet, procrastinating, and avoiding the process altogether…until now. My guest, Stephanie Maloney, is in charge of Client Services at Premiere Estate planning, and on this episode she shares her passion and her lessons about a necessary subject that many of us avoid. Part of the joy of being the Notary at an Estate Planning Appointment is the peace of mind it brings to the signers. Now it's your turn to enjoy that peace too! And, frankly, there's no better way to understand the process AND the documents, then to go through it yourself.

Guest Information:

Stephanie Maloney is the Director of Client Services at Premier Estate Planning, based in Arizona but assisting clients in all fifty states with their Estate Planning needs.

Book...

Are you ready to learn how to start a fingerprinting business AND start making money at it? Daniel Jurkowitsch is the CEO of FingerprinitngClasses.com and current Nassau County Detective, and he shares unfiltered possibilities about being a fingerprint technician in ANY state. Fingerprinting services are in extra high demand right now, and no matter what state you are in, there are two clear pathways to build a side hustle OR an empire. The choice is yours on this episode of the Sign & Thrive Podcast for Notaries.

Guest Information:

Daniel Jurkowitsch is currently a Nassau county detective in New York, as well as the CEO of FingerprintingClasses.com

Start your fingerprinting business by completing a 30-second survey here 

Episode Highlights:

39:23 Laser FOCUS is my mantra.

41:44 You need three things: the equipment, the knowledge and the eyeballs.

50:01 Word of mouth is still the best marketing strategy, which means customer service is...

As customers flow into our Notary business, we're faced with many different ways to represent our brand and demonstrate our expertise. These opportunities, when optimized, help deepify relationships, clearing the path for something that can last beyond one single transaction. Because, if your customer needed a Notary once, they'll need one again. Or, at the very least, they'll know someone who does. Through years of experience, Bill has built the framework for the Top of Mind Method, and the 13 Opportunities you have to connect deeper and provide even more value to your ideal customers.

Episode Highlights:

3:22 The challenge is that when things are going good and your phone is ringing off the hook, it's real easy to push aside all the fundamental business practices that help businesses succeed in the long run.

6:49 Results don't lie. They can be harsh sometimes, but they're true.

12:42 The top of mind method is basically 13 opportunities we have from the first time we...

Selecia has built an amazing business working as a mobile notary, a Justice of the Peace in Florida, a wedding officiant at the Rainbow Notary Nuptials, and an advocate of RON (remote online notary) - tapping into the expat community needs around the country.

Guest Information:

When my Notary Commission began in December 2017, I had no idea the opportunities I would have to meet and help people. So often when people think of needing a Notary it is to sign an important document. The truth is, when you need a Notary, you are facing a life changing situation. Someone is being born or someone has died. You are: buying a house or selling a house, signing a Will or a Power Of Attorney, buying a car or selling a car. It is major life moment for the client. Our Commission gives us the power and charge to verify the identity and to sign these important documents. It is a great privilege to be able to assist people with these documents and to get them the verifications they need....

Vanessa Terry is the Founder of Notary2Notary, the nationwide notary training program, On-Time Notary, her nationwide signing service and iNotarize, her new Electronic Notary Platform. She loves training and provides resources in the notary industry across the country. She was also named 2021 Forbes Next 1000 Entrepreneur who is changing the way people work.

Visit her website to learn more about her training at www.notary2notary.com

Episode Description:

Are you feeling afraid of not making enough money as a loan signing agent with the rising interest rates? You're not alone! And where some Notaries are stressing, others are expanding. Many of our peers are finding opportunity everywhere! Listen to this conversation with Vanessa Terry about how she's expanding her own personal business, as well as coaching others to do the same. There are additional income streams AND ways to warm up your current network to get...

Have you ever felt too embarrassed about the way you look or feel about yourself to even walk into an escrow office or networking meeting? Or do you just run out of energy halfway through the day and give up on all the things you know you "should" be doing today? Is the stress associated with major changes in your business getting you bogged down? Jane gets it. Jane Wenning has been helping people improve their mental and physical well-being for over 20 years. As an entrepreneur herself, she understands how difficult it can be for mobile workers to stay active and eat in a way that energizes us. From her own experience, she adapted the Four Pillars of Health and she shares her journey from body shame to acceptance and abundance in today's episode.

Guest Information:

“When you love who you are, you become healthy, strong and unstoppable. This is true transformation – body, mind and spirit. This is the gift I want to share.”

Jane Wenning is a certified...

Janessa sees opportunity everywhere! And as a serial entrepreneur, she usually turns that opportunity into a business. Hear how she built a thriving Loan Signing business in Southern California, and then MOVED to the heart of the midwest. Through a commitment to Search Engine Optimization and building relationships centered on trust, she now has a thriving business based mainly on GENERAL Notary Work in BOTH states!

Guest Information:

Entrepreneur since 2004, Notary since 2017, Janessa stumbled into Notary work while I was looking for something to add to her real estate income. Little did she know it would become a main source of income!

Originally living in Orange County and then moving to St. Louis, she figured out how run successful notary businesses in two different States. Now she is working to expand her areas of coverage and become more efficient in process and procedures.

Visit http://www.NotaryNewbiesMentor.com...

Nicola Jackson manages the Training and Education Department at the National Notary Association, providing support for Notaries all over the country. Have you used the NNA Hotline yet? That's her team! She's also a passionate Notary Public that found the bureaucracy of loan signing work frustrating. So, she decided to get really great at Specialty Notary Work and loves both her job, in service of Notaries through the NNA, and her Notary business, in service to the public at large.

Guest Information:

Nicola Jackson manages the Training and Education Department at the National Notary Association. Her group of 14 instructors conduct the California required Notary training statewide approximately 800 times a year. She also manages the NNA hotline that answers over 12,000 questions monthly from Notaries across the country. Nicola spent most of her career with the NNA as a seminar instructor where she taught Notary law seminars in 17 states and is highly regarded as a subject...