If you are the bearer of a notary commission, you hold a key to income and purpose. 

Not only do notaries serve an important role in fraud and identity theft prevention, but they can also make a living doing so. 

The secret to success is moving away from being a generalist to a specialist. 

As they say, the riches are in the niches. 

The Difference Between General Notary Work and Specialty Notary Work

My friend and notary expert, Laura Biewer coined the phrase, “Specialty Notary Work” (SNW) to identify those repeatable opportunities we have under the notary umbrella. There are certain situations, facilities, document types, and even client types, that call for a little extra learning, certification, and understanding. Those notaries that take that on, can stand out and tap into growth and more revenue. 

Laura and I wrote a book about how to monetize your notary commission through specialty work called, “Beyond Loan Signings...

Did you know you can make money as a notary public? 

Chances are if you're following my blogs and email, you probably already know that. But if you're brand new to the notary world, or even if you've had a commission for years, but never knew what to do with it outside your 9-5 job, I've got some good news for you. 

You can build a thriving business as a mobile notary through, what we call, Specialty Notary Work (SNW). 

There are hundreds of millions of documents that get notarized every year, and most states allow notaries to charge travel fees in exchange for the access to your services in the convenience economy. People value their time more than anything right now, and if you're willing to travel to them, you can build a business as a notary public on wheels. 

Depending on the type of appointment, and the state your commissioned in, you could generate anywhere from $60-$150 (or more) per appointment. 

How to Monetize Your Notary Commission Through...

You can listen to this blog on YouTube here

I went to my very first in-person conference with the National Notary Association (NNA) last year in Las Vegas (A-Mazing, by the way, and perhaps a little too much fun, if you know what I mean). 

In between sessions, the NNA asked me and Sandra Long, my co-author of Supercharge Your Notary Business with LinkedIn, to record a video session discussing the power and importance of LinkedIn for every notary’s business success.  

You can watch the 2-minute clip below. 

Mission Critical

Having a professional appearance on LinkedIn is mission critical to your notary business, now more than ever! 

With the rising interest rates, and slower refinance boom, hiring companies are now cherry picking the best of the best notaries. They won’t settle for less because they don’t have to anymore.  

Having mediocre websites, skills, or directory...

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...

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...