How to Start a Mobile Notary Business

In our modern technological age where business is conducted at any time across the globe with digital communication, the ability to get legitimate notarized documents on short notice has become a necessity. There are real estate deals, car loans, business affidavits, and other legal documents not involved in legal conflict that must be notarized to be made official and that requires a responsive public notary.

Knowing this, you may decide that becoming a public notary could be a great opportunity to develop your own business. It can become a rewarding profession both personally and financially, so be sure to take a look at these tips today to see if this is the right entrepreneurial opportunity for you.

1. You must become licensed in order to become a notary.

Each jurisdiction has their own varying requirements for licensing a notary public. The best way to get started is to check with either your local county clerk’s office or Secretary of State to find out the steps that need to be taken. The other avenue you can take is checking the National Notary Society’s website.

In most jurisdictions, there is a course that can be taken either online or at set times at local offices during the year. After taking the course, you will be tested and if you pass, you can apply with your local notary commission for the official licensure. Be aware that because a notary has to be proven to have reliability and a history of honesty and integrity, you will also need to provide local officials your fingerprints and applicable identification materials so that a thorough background check can be done. In most jurisdictions, convicted felons cannot be notaries.

2. Set your rates to be competitive.

You are going to be providing a necessary service as a notary, but you have to remember it is also client based and there will be competition. It is important at the beginning to check and see what the rates are for other notaries in your area. If any of them are offering a mobile service to meet client needs, make your rates be competitive with theirs to

One good option you should consider is to set a standard fee for your services and then add a standard travel fee based on mileage from your home base, this allows you to build a solid customer base and still make travel costs. Also you can set rates for after or before traditional business hours, as the world has changed so have many of the legal needs of business. By checking around you can set the best rate for your business.

3. Make sure all aspects of the business are legal.

As a legal notary public, you’ll have to register your new business name with your local registry office and have a tax license for all the communities with which you are doing business because as a commissioned notary public you are a representative of your jurisdiction. You will need to pay any fees that are associated with these registrations as wll.

4. Get your name known by those who need you.

While we live in a digital age, marketing a mobile notary business will require some of the standard marketing promotions to be successful. Use some nice business cards and flyers and then make appearances at all local realtors and financial service providers offices.Credit unions, law practices, government offices and neighborhood companies are also opportunities for business. Get your ads in the newspaper’s service directory and in the car sales weeklies as well.

Digital marketing can be as simple as putting an add on a free classified ads website or making sure your business is listed on paid review websites. Use social media extensively to network and don’t be afraid to shake hands with anyone because you never know who will be your next customer.

5. Be professional.

It sounds simple, but building a business as a mobile public notary means having a total professional presentation and behavior. Appearance matters because you will be dealing with government and high capital businesses. Even if you will be meeting clients in their home or in an empty retail space, it is important that you dress as you would in any boardroom.

As a mobile business, you will also need to make sure that your vehicle, laptop, and mobile printer are always working correctly so that there are no misfires on important meetings. You are building a business that depends on documentation done on time, so you must show you are dependable.

6. Become Record Keeper.

You’ll have to become a skilled user of a database software program or bookkeeping program. Keeping exacting records is an important legal part of running any business, but with the standards required in real estate and financial transactions, it becomes an absolute necessity to keep your records clear and detailed.

It is also important to keep your own monetary records clear and accurate. Because you are running your own financial industry business, you must be able to produce your own records for tax purposes and for periodic governmental reviews.

7. Learning confidentiality.

In becoming a mobile notary, you will be doing a great deal of business looking at documents that have private and privileged information about others private lives. Because of this it is extremely important that above all you maintain you client’s confidentiality. Public trust must be maintained 100% of the time.

8. Sealing the deal.

One of the things in your favor after getting initially established is that many clients feel about a notary as they do a doctor, banker or lawyer, once a relationship has been created they tend to view you as their notary. You become the person they call for any contacts or agreements that need to have an official notary. This shows how important trust is in building your business people tend to build ongoing relationships with people they know they can trust.

Knowing how to start a mobile notary business means potentially knowing how to secure your financial future. Use these steps today to get your business started and then you’ll finally be able to earn what you know you are worth.