Congratulations, you are now a commissioned notary public! Are you excited? I’m excited for you.
I got started in this business in 2014, and it’s now 2022. I love what I do and have been doing this full time since 2016, and have not looked back ever since.
As a new notary, there are a few things to mindful of. You want to be sure to protect yourself as well as your business. You want to protect yourself and your commission. In any industry, there are always scammers and law changes to be mindful of. Anything could happen that can cause you to not only be sued, but for you to lose your commission. We want to make sure that does not happen.
Here are my top three tips to help you stay safe and profitable as a notary.
Tip 1: Read your state’s handbook
Your state’s handbook is extremely important. Each State’s Notary Handbook is a necessity for the everyday notary. With your states handbook, you should find detailed explanations of your states notary laws, basic notary guidelines that you use everyday in your duties as a notary public, helpful tips for use while performing a notarial act, requirements for proper notarizations, and more!
When you read both your states’ handbook, you’ll be surprised at all of the interesting things you’ll find. Not only that, but also make sure you stay connected with your commissioning office as they may have added updates to the handbook.
Tip 2: Stay Up to Date on Continuing Education
This is something that I highly recommend, because like any space, you may not be as successful as the person who took time to invest in learning their industry, you get to shorten that learning curve, when you invest in continuing education. In most states, you may not have to take an exam or a training, however this is highly recommended. As for me, I started as a notary in 2014, I didn’t quit my job until 2016. Why? I didn’t know how it took me two years, I didn’t take a training, I self taught myself everything right. Education is so very valuable, and its something I had to learn later in life.
Tip 3: Protect Your Commission & Make Sure To Renew On Time
You never want to operate as a notary when your commission has expired. It’s important to find out from your commission or issuing agency, how far in advance can you apply to renew so you can make sure that you’re never operating as a notary without being legally commission.
Along with the idea of protecting your commission, make sure you that you also protect your stamp. Don’t just leave your stamps lying around in public . You want to make sure that you keep your stamps in in your purse or in your notary bag or in your office so that way, you’re not just leaving it lying around, because people do impersonate notaries,
Be sure to also renew your insurances. Every business that I have, I have a binder and a file online of foundational paperwork and that includes things like any licenses that I have to have for that industry, LLC, EIN, insurances, business licenses, whatever that case is, and I review it every couple months just to make sure everything’s right. I often do reviews to make sure everything is current, nothing has lapsed,
With these tips, you are sure to be a successful notary!