How This Couple Began A $15K/Month Notary Enterprise – Starter Story

Hi there! Who’re you and what enterprise did you begin?

My identify is Mark Sias, and my spouse Grace and I began a enterprise known as Noble Notary & Authorized Doc Preparers. This enterprise is a Florida dba held by G & M Sias corporations, LLC.

We began this enterprise on a shoestring price range. We’re a small however extremely worthwhile notary service enterprise in Port Orange, Florida that cranks out a considerable amount of Income by performing excessive demand authorized companies “odd jobs” which are simple to do however have a excessive markup. We will carry out our companies in particular person and remotely.

Our enterprise mannequin is exclusive in that we service each B2B and B2C. This consists of Basic notary work, distant on-line notarization, cell notary, apostilles, actual property closings, and the execution of property paperwork for lawyer’s workplace, title corporations, and most of the people. We additionally educate different notaries on the right way to duplicate our enterprise mannequin.

Whereas these companies could seem considerably confounding on the floor, it’s a easy enterprise mannequin. We will generate full-time revenue working at most 20 hours every week every.

We generate roughly 15,000/month in income, conservativly, and in lots of instances far more, as our overhead, stock, and promoting expenditures are extraordinarily low.

What’s your backstory and the way did you give you the thought?

I’ve been a vital care registered nurse for the final 15 years and was burnt out from that job subject. I used to be on the prime of my pay with nowhere to go. I’ve tried community advertising and marketing and MLM corporations like everybody else, however my first actual misadventure into the entrepreneurial world was with life insurance coverage. I acquired a 2-15 insurance coverage license and began promoting a life insurance coverage coverage to everybody I knew.

This was going nicely sufficient that I stop my nursing job. The issues arose after I ran out of “heat leads” and needed to begin producing new prospects that didn’t know, like, or belief me. I used to be shortly spending away my preliminary earnings on junk leads that didn’t pan out very nicely. So, to complement my lack of revenue, I returned to doing residence well being nursing part-time. This line of labor includes going into folks’s homes to render care on an outpatient foundation.

Whereas doing residence well being care and promoting insurance coverage, I used to be making an attempt to unravel two totally different riddles. The primary one was this: Is there a approach to earn more money faster and simpler going into folks’s homes than what these residence healthcare companies have been paying me? The opposite puzzle I used to be making an attempt to unlock was if there was a option to get in entrance of extra folks to promote insurance coverage on the again finish by providing one other service that was roughly adjoining on some stage.

That is the place I had an “aha” second if you’ll… I wasn’t certain if it will work, however I figured I had nothing to lose, and it didn’t price a lot to strive. What if I provided cell notary companies? I may get out and in of somebody’s residence, nursing residence, hospital, or different amenities in a matter of minutes with easy notarizations on paperwork for individuals who have been in any other case confined for some motive or one other.

After doing some research, I found a couple of issues, like getting a notary fee is extraordinarily simple. It seems his cell notary thought is a factor. Which means there are different folks already working this kind of enterprise, and from what I gathered, the collected charges made this a extra viable thought than persevering with my part-time gig as a house well being nurse.

Take us by means of the method of constructing the primary model of your product.

Initially, I created a Google my enterprise itemizing providing cell notary companies underneath the identify “Noble Cellular Notary.” I had a free Google web site and a few extremely horrible-looking photos and enterprise playing cards made. Nevertheless, it appeared to work. It labored so nicely that I pleaded with my spouse(Grace) to get a notary fee as a result of I used to be additionally turning away enterprise.

In these early days, throughout my first 12 months in enterprise, all I provided was the cell notary and numerous actual property closings. I knew nothing about website positioning, we did not have a horny web site or any branding strategies. All income at the moment was generated by B2B advertising and marketing to title corporations, and prospects’ discovering is straight off our Google Maps itemizing.

Getting began was extraordinarily cheap. You may get a notary Fee in Florida for about $100. Google listings in electronic mail campaigns are free.

I wanted a good laptop computer pc, a laser printer/scanner, and a set of wheels. All stuff that, in all actuality, I already owned. Residence workplace tools. Enterprise playing cards are made by means of Vistaprint, and that’s it!

I made a couple of clerical errors within the early days, equivalent to not printing important paperwork on the appropriate paper measurement or the right scale. I additionally misplaced slightly cash right here and there with ineffective commercial strategies. When you get a Google enterprise profile listed, your cellphone begins to ring with advertisers promising you the Moon.

Whilst you can run this enterprise as a self-employed contractor, we selected to get a fictitious identify registered by means of Sunbiz in Florida. It’s additionally a good suggestion to hold Errors and Omission insurance coverage as a notary and basic legal responsibility insurance coverage for your small business in the event you’re driving round in a car. Each of those are comparatively cheap. I can carry a $150,000 per incidence E & O coverage for 4 years for under $100. Basic legal responsibility and one million {dollars} solely price me $40 a month.

Our first (hideous) enterprise card. No enterprise traces and no websites8

What our playing cards appear like these days…

Describe the method of launching the enterprise.

We shortly realized we had a lot extra to supply than cell notarizations. We determined to get severe. The very first thing we did was rebrand ourselves as Noble Notary & Authorized Doc Preparers. We knew what the market was telling us and the companies that have been desired by our buyer base.

We additionally had a superb understanding of what a worthwhile enterprise appears to be like like. That may be a straightforward service to study and require little in the best way of expenditures, capital, or stock. To enrich our enterprise mannequin, that additionally needed to be a comparatively excessive demand authorized service and little time dedication on our half.

With that philosophy in thoughts, we moved shortly. We migrated our tacky GoDaddy web site to WordPress and Bluehost. I constructed our first web site and GoDaddy as a result of the GoDaddy web site Builder was simple to make use of, nonetheless, I found its limitations. We employed builders to place our listings in lots of of directories doing map citations and different vital website positioning metrics.

Our rebranded enterprise mannequin was now providing the next companies: Cellular and distant on-line notary, government actual property closings (we had subcontractor notaries to cowl areas and time slots we discovered inconvenient), apostille companies, authorized doc preparation, fingerprinting, credit score restore, and tax preparation.

One of many largest classes and ideas I apply to our enterprise is letting income drive future progress. In different phrases, exit of your pocket as little as attainable. That was a mistake I used to be making with insurance coverage, simply dumping cash into leads with none ROI.

Since launch, what has labored to draw and retain prospects?

My most important recommendation for sustaining prospects is just to over-deliver on service. Supply them greater than they count on and element, and they’re going to return and inform others. It’s so simple as this make your companies and supply so good that folks would really feel silly going elsewhere.

Your aim needs to be repeat enterprise, referrals, and constructing a tribe.

We actively take part in our native Chamber of Commerce, which seems no different notaries within the space contain themselves in. We take out radio advertisements/sponsorships with native Christian radio stations. https://youtube.com/shorts/DJ3sS7AP2dI?characteristic=share

Once more, we’re the one ones on this group doing this. Craigslist has been a superb place for us to listing our companies.

One other factor that none of our opponents are doing is creating easy YouTube “commercials” which are adequately optimized with key phrases that make them related to our communities.

Our “Group Ollie-Ruby” YouTube native advert:

As for our B2B distributors, we now have a database of them on an Excel spreadsheet. We observe up with them, that is simple to do, however it’s all really easy now. After we work with a vendor equivalent to a title firm, we ship follow-up emails, thanks playing cards, enterprise playing cards, and even a few of our branded supplies.

For instance, everybody we’ve come throughout falls in love with the sharpie S-Gel pen. We had stacks of these made with our emblem, web site, and cellphone quantity proper there, and currently, I have included them in return mailers to title corporations.

I’ve even acquired a branded customized notary stamp. Test your state legal guidelines earlier than doing this. In Florida, it’s OK.

The opposite factor is… we dominate our native listings engines like google with touchdown pages particular to areas that we cowl, additionally guaranteeing that our web site has form of recent content material and enough backlinks. As you may see, our GMB profile has over 5k views this month.

We’re intentional about asking for opinions in our follow-up emails. We’re additionally beneficiant opinions, if a regulation agency is nice to work with, we’re the primary to let others know. As of this writing, we now have a formidable Aref’s DA of 29.

Every pin is its touchdown web page with CTA

How are you doing right this moment and what does the long run appear like?

Our major enterprise continues to be doing our notary enterprise. It has continued to flourish regardless of rates of interest and altering actual property markets. We noticed that coming, and we’re ready for it. Nevertheless, our success has precipitated others to take discover.

Many notaries rely solely on revenue generated from conducting mortgage signings. We spoke out closely in opposition to this because it’s too depending on fragile financial circumstances. We selected to concentrate on selling our authorized doc preparation companies, as it’s a official area of interest that serves the center class and has virtually no competitors.

In 2021 we began teaching different notaries. This got here out of market demand.

We even wrote a guide known as “A Golden Pen” (accessible all over the place books are bought:

Amazon/Audible/Kindle) about our distinctive enterprise mannequin, what it’s that we do precisely, and why it really works so nicely. The truth of teaching others is that it s costly for them and time costly for us. We determined we may attain extra folks by making a digital course filled with the information, methods, and tutorials we now have applied which allowed us to have the extent of success we do.

Within the fall of 2021, we launched Notary Prosperity Academy. A digital course hosted on Kajabi is basically designed to duplicate our enterprise fashions within the precise processes in-depth and in full element about how we do all the things we do. Our advertising and marketing efforts for this course are primarily much like our enterprise advertising and marketing. We concentrate on natural content material creation and a persistent social media presence.

We may plan to maintain on producing high quality YouTube content material to realize followers. We additionally actively search out different folks’s audiences by being a visitor on podcast reveals, radio interviews, and different in style influencers to clarify our distinctive enterprise mannequin and the chance to duplicate it as simply as attainable.

Our squeeze web page for Notary Prosperity Academy

We’re additionally planning to launch one other guide solely on a distant on-line notary known as “A Digital Pen.”

By beginning the enterprise, have you ever realized something notably useful or advantageous?

Initially, we misplaced some cash with ineffective commercial strategies. When first creating web sites and google listings, you’ll get calls, emails, and different presents to get you extra publicity. Most of those solicitations might be higher investments. Now we’ve realized to display and qualify any vendor presents fastidiously. Make them present you comparable enterprise case research. Maintain them accountable or fireplace them.

After having our web site migrated to WordPress, I needed to study to navigate the again workplace aspect of it and do some little bit of coding. Each are issues I procrastinated at. WordPress is a monster, however it is going to do wonders for your small business. Studying to edit, construct and handle your web site will prevent money and time. Simply resolved to study it.

For our day-to-day enterprise, I realized to have backups. Backup computer systems, backup printers, web, transportation, and even backup notary stamps. You don’t need to end up turning away enterprise due to unforeseeable circumstances.

We function our enterprise in Central Florida. When Hurricane Ian hit, it broken 2 of our autos. Whereas we may get a alternative inside every week, throughout that point, I used to be nonetheless working appointments with a 125cc scooter that we stored for such events as this.

What platform/instruments do you employ for your small business?

My advertising and marketing instrument is by far and away Kajab. It’s a advertising and marketing machine!

Not simply from a course gross sales standpoint. We use Kajabi for all facets of our enterprise. Checklist constructing, electronic mail campaigns, newsletters, gross sales funnels, and internet hosting our podcast. I actually can not say sufficient good about it with out sounding like I’m a rep for them. I discover the platform to be simple to make use of. We now have used the platform to create quite a few programs and order bumps, upsells, and down sells for companies and types we provide in our day-to-day enterprise. We pay $200/month for Kajabi, and I’ve by no means felt I didn’t get my cash’s price.

Aside from Kajabi, I discover the Social Blade and TubeBuddy browser extensions to be very helpful in YouTube content material creation.

What have been essentially the most influential books, podcasts, or different sources?

I’ve learn all the things by Russel Brunson.

The person is a genius who can break issues down into easy-to-understand examples. Knowledgeable Secrets and techniques, DotCom Secrets and techniques, and Site visitors Secrets and techniques have been extraordinarily useful. I hearken to his podcast and observe him on social media.

One other writer/entrepreneur I’m a giant fan of is Alex Hormozi. His guide 100 Million Greenback Supply was very informative, inspiring, and compelling. I’ve learn it a number of instances to make sure I’ve soaked in all of the ideas he lays down.

Recommendation for different entrepreneurs who need to begin or are simply beginning out?

You first have to find out that you’re a good match for being Your Boss. The truth is nobody’s coming to make you do your job, so that you want the inner drive to do it your self.

Second, as a enterprise proprietor, you must perceive all facets of your small business. Certain, you would possibly outsource advertising and marketing or accounting. Nevertheless, that you must have a ok understanding of the capabilities of those facets of your small business. Then you may make sure that issues are working easily and also you’re not getting ripped off.

Lastly, take a look at each buyer encounter as a limiteless alternative. Not simply an remoted transaction. It is a massive mistake I see in my trade. Every shopper you purchase ought to have a lifetime worth. Your aim needs to be repeat enterprise, referrals, and constructing a tribe.

Are you trying to rent for sure positions proper now?

We’re all the time accepting purposes for cell notaries who want to subcontract. We now have PDF subcontractor agreements accessible for obtain on our primary web site.

We even provide you with sources to get your notary fee in all 50 states on our web site.

Candidates can return filled-out signing agent vendor agreements to [email protected].

We foresee needing a digital assistant this 12 months to help with emails and cellphone calls this 12 months. We all the time welcome new affiliate entrepreneurs to share our course’s income.

We provide 50% commissions paid out by means of PayPal.

The place can we go to study extra?

If in case you have any questions or feedback, drop a remark beneath!