06/25/2026, Seller appointment, 2:00 PM. Did not follow instructions. Missed the 2nd witness on the deed. Slow to upload the scanbacks. No response to messages. No answer to calls. Did not drop off on time. DNU. DNU means Do Not Use. That notary will not work with us again. Now look at that list one more time, because here is the part most notaries miss. It was not ONE thing. A missing witness on a deed is a serious mistake, yes. But that one is fixable, IF you pick up the phone. Late scanbacks slow us down, but we can manage it, IF you tell us what is happening. Even a delay on drop off has a solution, IF you answer. Do you see the pattern? Every single one of those problems had a way out. And the way out was always the same. COMMUNICATION. What ended this relationship was not the witness. It was the silence. The moment a notary goes dark on us, we lose the one thing that lets us protect the file, protect the client, and protect YOU. We cannot fix what we cannot reach. So I want to be honest with you, because I would rather you hear it from me than learn it the hard way. Reliability is not about being perfect. None of us are. Reliability is about being REACHABLE when something goes sideways. The notaries we call again and again are not the ones who never make a mistake. They are the ones who answer the phone when they do. 🙏🏻 Be honest with yourself for a second. When a signing gets messy, are you the notary who picks up, or the one who goes quiet?

Be honest there is a version of this we’ve all been close to. You finish an unusual signing and the story is right there, ready to tell. Two questions: What is your personal rule for talking about your work? Have you ever caught yourself about to share a detail you shouldn’t? What stopped you?

We recently had a file where the title company included two shipping labels inside the package. Knowing this could cause confusion, we left a very clear note for the notary indicating exactly which label needed to be used. Unfortunately, the wrong label was used. The package was lost, the title company never received the documents, and the borrowers had to sign again. When we asked the notary to return for the re-sign, the response was: "I'll do it, but you need to pay me a witness fee because this happened due to the two labels being in the package." Here's the question: If specific instructions were provided and the wrong label was still used, who should be responsible for the consequences? Mistakes happen to all of us. But when they do, should accountability be part of professionalism? Curious to hear your thoughts. 👇

A few days ago, I posted this on social media: "I built a notary fortune because I didn't know my worth." My message was simple: I built my business by saying yes to every opportunity. I worked hard, served clients well, gained experience, and built relationships. Instead of focusing on what I thought I deserved to earn, I focused on creating value. Over time, that commitment helped me build a strong reputation and a successful, profitable business. This has nothing to do with signing services offering low fees. If you know me, you know I strongly oppose companies taking advantage of notaries. That's not the point of this post. The reason I'm sharing this is because we recently assigned a signing to a notary we've worked with for years. This is someone we've consistently hired, trusted with all types of transactions, and helped keep busy in his area. The fee offered was $100. After reviewing the documents, the notary sent us the following message: "OK. The signer is available and this seem to be a very large package of 189 pages. Please add an extra $25 or find another Notary." There's another important detail. Over the years, we have paid this same notary $100 for seller packages that typically require printing only 20 to 30 pages. In other words, there were many transactions where the printing requirement was minimal, yet the fee remained exactly the same. That's why it's important to look at the full picture. Business relationships should not be evaluated one transaction at a time. Sometimes you make more on one assignment, sometimes you make less. The goal is to evaluate the relationship as a whole and understand the long-term value it provides. We explained that we could not adjust the fee. At that point, the notary told us to find someone else for the assignment. And that's exactly what we did. Not only did we find another notary, but we also made the decision that we will no longer do business with this notary moving forward. Not because he asked for more money.

Real talk, the people who hit their goals aren't superhuman. They just don't quit on themselves. You're probably dealing with the same stuff as everyone else. Life's messy. Progress is slow sometimes. You doubt yourself. Whatever. That's all normal. What matters is that you keep moving. Even when it doesn't feel like much. Even when you can't see the finish line yet. Some of you are killing it right now. Some are starting over. Some have no idea what's next. I get it. But you're all here doing the work, and that's what counts. For those just starting: You need to be seen. Send those emails. Make those calls. Earn the "preferred" title. I know it's not easy, but it's the only way to actually start. The invisible work doesn't move the needle, visibility does. So this week, do something that gets you closer. One thing. Then come back and tell us what it was. What's your one move this week? Drop it below, let's keep each other honest.