One of my favorite TV shows of all time is "Friends." My husband and I watch it entirely too much, and it still makes us laugh. Have you seen the episode where Ross asks Chandler and Rachel help him move his new sofa up the steps to his apartment? He's repeatedly giving the order to "pivot" as they maneuver a sofa up the steps that's too big for the stairwell. It's hilarious. It's also a very good metaphor for what's happening in the notary world these days. We've all been told to PIVOT as interest rates are rising and home sales are "drying up."
Let me shed some light on what "pivot" should mean in this transition year we've found ourselves in vs. how it's currently being interpreted. What I've noticed is everyone is coming out with a new training program of one kind or another. **People all of a sudden became "experts" at giving advice to notaries building a business. They took "pivoting" to mean, "come out with a training program," instead of "learn new notary skills to diversify your revenue streams." Is that because they think training and coaching are easier or require less effort? If so, they are mistaken. Coaching and training notaries is hard work and include countless hours of work that may never even see the light of day.
What "pivoting" your business should look like is learning new skills to create other streams of revenue besides loan signings. Interested in working with Attorneys? Learn their language and types of specialties (wills, trusts and estates); or family (divorce & custody) or adoption (foreign & domestic). Maybe you'd rather focus on being the "go to" mobile notary in your local community for general/specialty notary work. Then, you'll need to get hyper-localized SEO (search engine optimization) and a Google Business Profile page (and work to build up your 5 star reviews). Perhaps branching out as a wedding officiant is more appealing to you? Or maybe you're interested in learning about fingerprinting or Apostille agent work as a revenue stream? There are many things a notary can do to make more money, and the point is really this: Never put all your eggs into one basket! The mortgage industry is always going to be a roller coaster ride, but the loan closing business hasn't dried up. It's just normalized to the way it was prior to the pandemic rates of 2-3%. This is how the loan signing business really is as a working mobile notary. You've got to create relationships to be successful!
Here's the REALLY COOL ending to this post: Notary Business Builder (NBB) has everything you need to diversity your business without wondering if the trainer is knowledgeable or the course is worth the money. It's the first-of-its-kind platform that combines the country's best notary coaches and trainers to teach you everything you need to be a successful notary entrepreneur. No more subscription fatigue, no more feeling of being in this alone, no more fear of competition. NBB has experts on staff that teach you how to level up your business, your mindset and your income. We like to say, Notary Business Builder is an elite community of advanced Notary entrepreneurs that are committed to building a successful business in any economy by leveraging authentic sharing technology and cultivating deeper relationships.
Check it out if you haven't already: www.notarycoach.com/nbb
**Be wary of anyone selling a training program that you've never heard of or that's priced cheaply. I'm a big believer in "you get what you pay for," so keep that in mind as you're making decisions. There are tried and true trainers out there that have solid reputations in the notary world, including my incredible business partners Bill Soroka (The Notary Coach) and Laura Biewer (The GOAT). There's also Ronnie Mickle with Notary Stars, and Mark Wills with Loan Signing System. If you're uncertain about a new notary trainer, reach out to one of us and we'll shoot you straight.
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