Y'all know Bill and Laura were in town last week for the Evolve Summit, but we did a whole lot more than just speak on new topics. When we're together, we have a lot of fun, but we also work hard creating new learning opportunities for Notary Business Builders. And if you've been around for a while, you know we're also working very hard at building up our NBB membership so we can continue our mission to help notaries make their dreams of a successful, thriving business come true. A few weeks ago, we realized we have no professional pictures of the three of us together, so we decided to use our time together in Dallas to change that. So, after a great day of learning at the Evolve summit (my mind is still blown from Laura's "Show Me The Money," presentation which you can catch inside the Notary Business Builder replay library), we woke up early and drove to Penny Whistle Photography for a photo session. I'd met Tracy Allard, the owner of Penny Whistle a few years back when I took my pooch Piper to obedient classes at a local pet camp. You see, Tracy is also a fantastic dog trainer who helped me learn how to teach my old dog new tricks. She stuck in my mind as someone who had the same entrepreneurial spirit as me, so when it came time to trust our mugs to someone in Dallas, I instantly thought of Tracy. Tracy's backstory is one you might find familiar. She was very high up in the corporate technology world and decided she wanted a more manageable life so she "retired," and took her two passions, photography and animals and combined them. She now owns Penny Whistle Photography in Carrollton, TX and specializes in people, pet and equine photography. It's difficult to be "smiley" so early on a Sunday morning, but Tracy made it very easy. In fact, within a few minutes of being in her studio, Bill said that he felt like she was a kindred spirit. We started out doing individual headshots, which for the record are really difficult to nail. You have to stick your neck out, lean forward and "push your forehead to Oklahoma", as Tracy said. It felt so unnatural, but wait until we unveil our new headshots! Let me tell you, Tracy is a miracle worker! She made us look like movie stars. After our individual headshots, we posed for 5 different branding poses with the three of us in each shot. It was very hard to keep a straight face, but we did manage (barely). Laura had the idea to do a "hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil" photo with the 3 of us and it's one of my favorite because it visually captures our belief in leading with integrity. At the end of the session, we wanted some candid shots where it's just the 3 of us talking and at first it felt really awkward, but I remembered something I saw on a TV show a long time ago about extras in the background of a TV set. They appear to be having conversations, but really they're just saying "watermelon, cantaloupe" over and over again. So we did that....and hilarity ensured, but we got some great shots for branding Notary Business Builder that reflect the genuine bond that Laura, Bill and I share. If you live in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex and you need headshots or branding photos (or you want to capture your adorable pet in a photo session), I encourage you to reach out to Penny Whistle Photography. I'm not an affiliate. I just love recommending local businesses that deliver amazing service! P.S. I can't wait to share our new pictures with you next week! P.S.S. That's Tracy in the photo at the top of this page.

I just hung up from the Building Authentic Relationships call I host twice a month inside Notary Business Builder. This week was actually a bonus call where we each committed to a 7 day challenge. We decided what was most important to us individually, and made our #NBBHealthyChallenge pledge. For support, I've created a #NBBHealthyChallenge WhatsApp group where we can share our wins or send out a call for support. You can download it here: https://www.whatsapp.com. If you'd like to join, please respond to this email with your first and last name and the number you use to text. I will then send you an invitation to join. Please be sure once you're signed up you turn the notifications ON so you will be notified when someone needs you! This idea won't work if no one knows you need them! With their permission, I am sharing the promises fellow NBB'ers made for the next seven days in hopes you will find inspiration and join us from Thursday, April 20th to Thursday, April 27th as we challenge ourselves to be better...because together we can do anything! Jen: no gluten, dairy, refined/processed sugar, or alcohol. Eat only whole food and limit any processed foods Ev: set a timer for 20 minutes a day and complete one thing off her "I need to do this, but I hate to do this" list Jen: no chips, eat whole food and do yoga/workout daily Nina: walk a mile every day Debbie: no refined or processed sugar (rely on fruit for sweet tooth) and exercise 3 days walking, and 2 days strength training Joycelyn: start each day with positive affirmations, walk around the neighborhood every morning to get sunlight, and add more water to her routine Dianna: 64-100 oz of water each day, do strength exercises and research the Mediterranean food plan Melissa: be ready for YES before 8am and meditate/pray before picking up her phone in the morning. Kathleen: 48 oz of water between morning and night, and walk a mile with 5 different friends Tami: be ready for YES by 8am with daily workout completed William: exercise daily for 45 minutes (walking or strength training), no refined or processed sugar and eat only whole food Theresa: no refined or processed sugar Patricia: walk 20 minutes, hula hoop 5 minutes, and work on book Lorre: 15 minutes moderately intensive exercise, and no refined sugar or carbs Lastly, here are a few tips to keep you on track: Use the #NBBHealthyChallenge WhatsApp group to send out a call for support or encouragement if you feel yourself slipping. We're all in this together, and trust me I'll be using it when my cheese or chocolate cravings kicks in! Keep a diary of your daily commitment and how you feel at the end of each day so you can see the benefits of your hard work as you work through the week. Listen to inspirational podcasts like Mel Robbins or Jay Shetty or Hal Elrod or any number of inspirational podcasts to start your day off with positive reinforcement. I believe in you and I know you can do anything you set your mind to!

When someone asks you, "how can I support your business," what do you say? It's a hard question to answer if you've never given it any thought. During our weekly NBB accountability call on Tuesday afternoons, we are learning the nuances of how to answer this question. Part of the call is dedicated to these support requests, giving NBB members the opportunity to ask for the support they need from the community. This could mean "liking" their Etsy store, sharing a social media post or requesting we watch the videos on their YouTube channel. And the best part is, we're all willing to lend a hand to support each other! One of the ways that the Notary Business Builder (NBB) is different from other learning platforms is our willingness to promote the businesses our members have created outside of their mobile notary business that support notaries around the country. I just completed a slideshow highlighting these opportunities that will travel with Bill, Laura and me as we speak at different notary conferences around the country. That's right! We love showing off the creativity of the NBB community because we believe in each members ability to be a badass notary entrepreneur. Today, I want to highlight my friend and NBB member, Jennifer Cooper with JKC Mobile Notary in Fresno county, CA. She has launched a YouTube channel with some great advice on various topics like jail signings, choosing your notary "uniform," productivity apps to help you with your daily tasks, how to stop leaving money on the table at a signing and so much more! Her advice is accurate, she is very relatable and I learned a lot watching her videos. I invite you to visit her website and her YouTube channel to learn more about Jennifer, and while you're there be sure to "like" the videos that resonate with you the most! This is what NBB is all about: Innovation and Collaboration. It's not about teaching you to make a quick buck. That's not a sustainable model of business. We understand that building a lasting business requires dedication, patience and support from those in a position to help, and we are happy to lend it to those who support us!

I'm working ahead this week because Bill, Laura and Judi are coming to Dallas later this week because we're all speaking at the Evolve Summit in Frisco, sponsored by AYS Notary Service, LLC and it's awesome owner, Surond Maeweathers. Part of that involved getting my blog posts ready for the coming weeks. As I was thinking strategically about the timeline to send out my blog posts (you gotta time the whole thing to meet event dates, promotions, etc.), I had this really great moment of gratitude. I just felt this warm sense of happiness thinking about how much the notary community means to me. I have the opportunity to talk to so many different notaries from all different states, and all different backgrounds every week (and I learn so much from them). I get to lead a calls every month about some of my favorite subjects and things that excite me like learning how to understand and move past fear, science-backed strategies for developing new habits, and even health and wellness. I get to teach notaries new strategies for marketing their businesses. I get to work side-by-side in a very creative capacity with 2 legends in the community: Laura Biewer & Bill Soroka. I get to work on side-projects, any time I want that add value, and bring new ideas to influence people's businesses from the east coast to the west coast. I'm not bragging. I am flabbergasted that this is my life! Never in a million years would I have believed you if you had told me in 2017 when I went full time as a mobile notary that I would be in this position today. NEVER! Ironically, I've found myself saying a few times over the last couple of weeks to people who were feeling a bit down about their business, and were facing some hard decisions, "When you achieve your goals, it's not as if you feel done. You just continue on with different goals. You think, "If I can do that, then surely I can do _________________." No one ever really tells you that when you're starting out as an entrepreneur. In the beginning, we daydream about how we'll be the top loan signing agent in our city. We think about completing a pre-determined, but specific number of closings each week, multiplied by 5 or 6 days of work each week, then by 4.2 (weeks in a month) and finally, we multiply that by 12 to make sure we meet our annual revenue goal (that's usually a tad unrealistic for a new business). No one that I've ever met lovingly dreams about all the hard work it takes to get that elusive annual number. About all the zoom calls, certifications, seminars, conferences, meetings, closings, canceled appointments, phone calls, emails, PopIns, technology learning, networking, time blocking, accounting, etc it takes to achieve that dream. And sometimes, we even resist the work because it isn't "easy." But then there are days like today where you have a surprise moment of gratitude and happiness that just washes over you. Where you just feel at peace with your life. Being a member of Notary Business Builder has significantly changed my life. I am a more confident woman because of NBB. I feel secure in our goals, and our plans to achieve them. I feel so much kindness and friendship from the leaders and members, and a true sense of belonging. YOU did that! So, THANK YOU for supporting me by being a part of this movement to change the lives of notaries everywhere. To erase the idea that other notaries are competition, and that there is some secret, quick path to riches.* THANK YOU for being wonderfully, uniquely YOU and being a part of my life! I appreciate you more than you know! *As Notary Business Builders we know the secret is building relationships with our clients and each other to achieve true success as a notary entrepreneur!

One week from today Bill Soroka, Laura Biewer & Judi Lawrence will be in Dallas to participate in the EVOLVE Summit on Saturday, April 15th from 8am to 4pm. I am giddy with excitement to have my favorite notary friends come to my hometown to drop their wisdom and knowledge! Surond Maeweathers with At Your Service Agent has put together an incredible day of learning. I've sent out a few blog posts about the day's events, so today I want to talk about what happens when notaries get together in groups. Have you experienced a notary conference or meet-up before? If not, let me be the first to tell you that you should! The camaraderie, the learning, the laughter....it's all very intoxicating (and I'm talking about before the happy hour begins)! LOL! I'll be the first to admit, I didn't get it when I was first starting out. I really thought of other notaries as my competition, but with years of experience and the benefit of hindsight, I now realize what a limiting belief that is....notaries are the best! We understand each other's struggles and celebrate each other's wins. We relate to being a solopreneur and the challenges that come along with it (anyone ever feel lonely as a mobile notary because that is very common). The last time Bill, Laura, Judi and I were all together in Modesto, CA for the 2022 Notary Symposium we had several discussions about the power of notaries being together at conferences. We all agreed it's a powerful motivator if you're feeling down about the industry or confused about the next direction your business should take. Just having discussions with others and hearing their stories can bring so much clarity to the questions you're facing. Notaries all have wonderful tips to share with each other and when you embrace the idea that other notaries are powerful resources instead of your competition, you feel the warm hug of community and support. Realizing the power of notaries coming together to share actually filled a gap for me and allowed me blossom into the business owner I am today. If this sounds like something you need right now, I encourage anyone who can get to Frisco, TX (a suburb of Dallas) to join us next Saturday, April 15th! I'll see you there!

I started a conversation about health and wellness with my last blog post on Tuesday. Today, I wanted to share a podcast with you that really made an impact. This is the kind of science that makes the most sense to me. Not throwing medicine at something, but learning how what we put into our bodies can be considered useful medicine. You know I love Mel Robbins teachings and her style resonates well with me. She doesn't get all hyped, but rather is matter-of-fact about the topics she discusses on her podcast. This particular one with Dr. Mark Hyman was fantastic. I'm sharing it for two reasons: It's full of incredible information and I learned so much I hope the guys in the NBB audience give it a listen and think about joining our health and wellness series in April that will lead to a health and wellness challenge #NBBHealthy If you're planning to join the Building Authentic Relationships call on Wednesday, April 5th take an hour to listen to this before the call: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mel-robbins-podcast/id1646101002?i=1000605493421 I can't wait to start this new series in April!

I'll start off being completely honest with you. I had all the best intentions of starting 2023 off with a health and wellness journey to help me combat symptoms of menopause and ADHD and maybe lose some weight. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, right? In August of 2022 I had a strange incident. While sitting at my son's football game, I began feeling dizzy, then like I was going to pass out. My vision was very blurry and it was all I could do to walk down the stadium steps and to my car to go home early (don't worry, Tommy was driving). Once home, my speech started slurring and slowing down significantly so I immediately thought "stroke" and we went to the Emergency Room. After an overnight stay with more tests than I care to remember, the doctors determined that they didn't know what happened except it might have something to do with the medicine prescribed to manage my newly diagnosed ADHD (I still maintain that isn't an accurate diagnosis, but I no longer take that medication and manage my symptoms naturally with caffeine). For those of you who remember, Bill had his medical episode exactly 2 days after mine. I tease him that he was trying to bite my style. As you can imagine, it scared the bejesus out of me (especially hearing, "possible stroke victim" when they were talking about me and my speech was so slowed down I couldn't participate in the conversation). I made some changes the very next day like cutting out gluten in my diet and cutting way back on dairy (except for cheese which is too hard to fully give up, but I know I need to). I cut back on my alcohol intake. I started walking daily. It was going pretty well until I started following up with other specialists my general practitioner recommended to be sure nothing else was going on since the hospital wasn't clear on the exact issue that brought me there in the first place. Those specialists found more stuff... I was diagnosed with sleep apnea and a chronic auto-immune disease called Hidradenitis Suppurativa all within a few weeks of leaving the hospital. It was a lot to take in and a lot to manage. Then I got covid for the first time. Freakin' covid! I was sick for a solid two weeks and had lingering brain fog for many more weeks after the other symptoms subsided. Did I mention while all this was going on I was also managing symptoms of menopause like regular hot flashes, more brain fog, nausea, exhaustion and generally being frustrated by any and everything that crossed my path? My healthy 2023 has been fraught with frustration. I feel like I've been sick since the end of August and when I look back at my calendar, I can see that I actually have been sick regularly since last August. It's pissing me off! I'm not a nice sick person. As I write this, I have bronchitis that evolved from a sinus infection. There's this joke that men act like babies when they're sick, but that's me. I'm a giant baby and I constantly beat myself up for being sick (which is so dumb, but it's my natural response and yes, I'm working on it). Thank God I'm married to a saint of a man who loves me through rough times! I get mad because it's delayed my book progress. It's caused me to cut back on work, delayed my personal progress, and it's making me feel angry more than I'd like. And I know Im not the only one feeling this way. I know many of you also face health challenges. Whether severe or mild, I know I'm not alone in being concerned about my health. And these valid concerns can include weight management, heart and lung issues (anyone else experienced weird chest pains past 40?), chronic disease, and the psychological cost of allowing these feelings to build when you don't talk about them. So I wanted to talk about it because talking about stuff helps. Please join me on Wednesday, April 5th and April 12th at 10am central/11am eastern/8am pacific for a special conversation on the NBB Building Authentic Relationships calls. We're going to share our current health and wellness struggles in a safe environment and take the opportunity to offer up advice to each other. I'm especially interested in having the men of NBB join us because I know that men don't often have a place to go to share these kinds of feelings and I'd like to change that narrative. And if you know me....you know this is all leading to a health challenge for Notary Business Builders who believe, like I do, that food and community are medicine and accountability is important. Let's work together for better health and wellness. #NBBHealthy

A few days ago, I sent out a blog post about the Evolve summit happening in Frisco, TX on April 15th. Today, I want to dive deeper into the deep end of what we'll be discussing. This is your opportunity to learn from the BEST notary influencers in the country! Bill: "How to Turn Every Customer Into a Lifetime Customer." Imagine having the roadmap to turning a random GNW appointment into a repeat customer. In his prolific style, Bill will share how he created lifetime customers and teach you how to do the same. Laura: In a brand new presentation titled, "Show Me The Money," the one-and-only Laura Biewer will share how she finds customers, her pricing strategies and the financial allocation of her revenue. In her 19 years experience as a notary entrepreneur, Laura has earned her reputation as the GOAT, and she is ready to share her secrets with you . Judi: You know her. You love her. The Queen of Apostilles will be discussing the many different avenues notaries can pursue to diversify their income. As a notary public you should never put all your eggs in one basket! Jen: "Vulnerability in Business Relationships." As the creator of Signing Agent Marketing, I am always learning new ways to help notaries build their business. Marketing used to scare me, but not anymore! I'm breaking down the top sales secret I've learned to get more clients and make more money! Surond: The hostess with the mostest will be the emcee of the summit and will also be sharing her topic, "Notaries Evolve." For the cost of one trust presentation, you can spend the day learning from the country's leading notary influencers! There will be lots of mixing and mingling with a happy hour immediately after the summit ends in the hotel bar (additional costs apply). We look forward to meeting you, chatting with you and having a cocktail together to celebrate with you! See you in Frisco, TX on April 15th!

Understanding fear and how it affected my marketing plans is something I love to talk about. I spend a lot of time reading about the science of fear and how to combat it because it's a fascinating topic. All that reading came in handy because I noticed once I got clarity WHY I was so scared to go to networking events, deliver Pop-Ins or talk about my business in general it helped me feel more calm. Notice I didn't say my fear went away? I'm sure you've heard the phrase, "be scared, but do it anyway." Easier said than done, right? There is no magic sauce here. If you want different results you have to do things differently. I hope you'll register for Notary Table Talk, hosted by Janae Blatch on Thursday at 6pm eastern/5pm central/3pm pacific. We will have a frank discussion about fear and learn some ways to push past it to help you grow your business. It's FREE, but its a very valuable discussion you don't want to miss!

You know the dream I'm talking about. We've all had it...we're sitting in a classroom (or in a group of our peers) and we're naked. We feel exposed like a sitting duck and very VULNERABLE. Even thinking about those dreams makes me shudder because the feeling tends to stick with you after you've woken up and started your day. Feeling vulnerable can be extremely uncomfortable for most people, but as Brene Brown teaches us vulnerability is also the very core of building authentic relationships. If you don't know her, Brene Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston who has spent the last 2 decades studying vulnerability, shame, empathy and courage. She is widely considered to be the leading expert on vulnerability and believes that you have to walk through vulnerability to get to courage. She teaches her students to, "embrace the suck." I talk A LOT about building authentic relationships on my two platforms, Signing Agent Marketing and Notary Business Builder. Have you ever wondered what that really means? Well, as you might have guessed by now it's all about being vulnerable in your business relationships. What does that look like...being vulnerable in a business relationship? Any business is all about one thing... people. Say it with me: PEOPLE DO BUSINESS WITH PEOPLE THEY LIKE! And as Brene Brown teaches us, vulnerability lies at the very heart of connection. Transparent communication over time leads to hope and trust, which improves the relationship. It also creates a safe space for forgiveness where mistakes aren't punished, but looked at as learning opportunities. Here are some ideas for showing vulnerability in your work relationships: Drop the idea that you have to be perfect (there's no such thing). You're human, therefore not perfect. Stop putting on airs. It's OK to tell someone you're actively working to build your business instead of making it seem like you've been around longer than you have actually been in the notary business. Let others be in the drivers seat when it comes to conversation. You don't have to always take the lead. Listening is a lost art and no one wants to listen to a walking resume. Ask questions. Check your ego! Embrace the idea that other notaries exist in your area. You can view them as competition OR you could make attempts to get to know them better and create a referral network, a support group (being a solopreneur can be lonely) or even a good friend. Emphasize sharing ideas. A good idea is a good idea, but if you keep it to yourself it'll never come to fruition. Trusting someone enough to share your ideas is an act of love, and you will be surprised how much support people are willing to offer you when you're vulnerable enough to let them in on it.