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January 9, 2017

You lose $333 each time you don’t ask for a review

Filed under: Popular on Linked In,Popular Overall,Reviews — Tags: , — admin @ 12:08 am

What? How did you come up with this figure? Who does your math, or rather, where did you learn how to do math? Many Notaries claim that they just never “get around to it” when I ask them about asking for reviews. Most Notaries treat asking for a review as some chore like cleaning the attic once every four years. Asking for reviews is more like brushing your teeth. It takes only two minutes, but if you don’t do it, you’ll lose some of your business — or perhaps need a root canal.

Ask for reviews and floss after each signing
Think of 123notary as a Notary dentist. Most people visit the dentist once every six months for a cleaning and check up. But, how often do you go for a check up for your Notary business? We can give you a check up and tell you what you are doing right and wrong anytime — for free, and without the novacaine. We can also do a “cleaning” on your notes section to remove the plaque. The first thing we’ll tell you is to ask for reviews and floss after each signing. Also, get a check up with 123notary every six months, or whenever you feel you need help.

Don’t for a review ask unless complimented
Asking the wrong people for reviews doesn’t help, and asking unappreciative people is also a waste of time. Most Notaries make a list of all the signing companies they’ve ever worked for, ask them all for a review the same day and get nothing. Ask INDIVIDUALS for reviews and ask them the minute they say, “Gee, I love your work — you’re the best Notary I’ve ever had.” If you don’t get this type of compliments, try showing up exactly on time, dress impeccably, answer all of their questions with a smile, and offer a little extra at no charge. Be helpful, but not too helpful like the breakfast lady at the hotel last week who wouldn’t stop offering me yogurt to take to my room. Individuals could be signers for a single document who hired you directly, or perhaps borrowers.

5 or 6 reviews doubles your business.
Reviews are potent in the minds of readers for three years. If you have five or six that doubles your new business from 123notary statistically. But, getting those six reviews is not so easy. Most Notaries think they need to ask six people and they’ll get six reviews. Then there are the people you asked who said they would write a review, but didn’t. You might have to ask ten people who claim they love your work just to get one review. But, if you ask sixty people, you’ll get the six reviews (yes, six is the magic number) that will transform your business. The question is, how long does it take in minutes to ask sixty people?

Ask sixty people in the course of a year or two.
It takes a minute or two to ask for a review. There is some chit-chat, some gossip, and some technical how to regarding the review. You will need to take their EMAIL ADDRESS, so you can email them a link. Without a link to your review page, few if any people will go to the trouble to find it on their own. 123notary is not so easy to navigate even for our staff, so how will a stranger be able to find your page. Sending a link to the “write a review” part of your review page takes a minute. In total, you might spend about four minutes each time you ask for a review and send the necessary email. Asking sixty people will take 240 minutes total. If the average Notary on 123notary (no such thing) makes $20,000 in signings in a three year period, doubling that will be an extra $20,000 as a result of having spent 240 minutes asking for reviews.

Doing the Math
You need to ask roughly 60 people for reviews to get 6 reviews which is the magic number
6 reviews statistically doubles your incoming calls from 123notary (results vary)
It takes 4 minutes to ask for a review and send the email with a link to your review page
4 minutes * 60 people you asked is 240 minutes
You might make $20,000 extra over the next (3) years if you had six or more reviews.
$20,000 divided by 240 = $83 per minute you spend asking for a review
$83 * 4 minutes = $333 each time you ask for a review.

If you are “too busy” to ask for a review, ask yourself, is whatever I’m busy with worth $83 per minute? Even if you are a brain surgeon, the answer is probably no — unless you include the overhead for the operating room and salaries for assistants, clerical work, and costs of the plastic gloves.

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You might also like:

123notary’s comprehensive guide to getting reviews
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=16290

Notary Marketing 102’s guide to writing a comprehensive notes section
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19788

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January 7, 2017

Who and what is Snapdocs?

Filed under: Popular on Twitter,Popular Overall,Signing Company Gossip — Tags: — admin @ 9:47 am

It is not a day that goes by the I don’t get a call into 123notary.com about SnapDocs. Who are they? How do I sign up with them? How much do they pay? And, more often than not, ‘They have destroyed my notary signing agent business’.

So let me start off for folks that don’t know – they are not a signing service. This is just a platform set up where notaries can register and create an account for free, upload their credentials. ex: commission, bond, E & O, background check, certifications etc. Once your credentials have been verified by the staff at SnapDocs

(I assume this means that they are making sure your documents are current) and you have completed your profile you are all set to receive notary assignments. You set your profile to receive jobs via email and/or text. Hiring companies that have also signed up can now choose a notary from the site. It costs the signing company that utilizes this service 8.00 per assignment so I have been told. Ouch! The signing services can also rate your work and/or performance. You however, cannot rate the signing service. Personally, I don’t think this is fair. There are just to many of them that don’t pay and really take advantage of us.

Several of the signing service companies that use it have stated that they love the interface and the user experience is good – for them. However, on the other hand many notaries have expressed concern that companies that use to pay regular and a fair fee have now begun to also offer lowball offers. I assume that is because of the 8.00 fee to use the platform. The notaries also resent that there companies no longer contact them direct via telephone. The problem with this is their is not enough information that is given in the text or email. It tells you the date and time and whether it requires faxbacks but usually nothing else. IMO, this is not enough information given to make a decision whether to take a assignment or not.

Personally, I deactivated my profile. I got annoyed with all the low ball offers. It was a waste of my time. So there you have it. I would love to know how the rest of you feel.

Thanks for reading, be safe.

You might also like:

Snapdocs business model doesn’t add up
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19290

Snapdocs thumbs up or thumbs down?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19190

Does knowledge still matter as a signing agent?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19887

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January 2, 2017

The link is the missing link to getting reviews on 123notary

Filed under: Reviews — Tags: , — admin @ 12:07 am

Many people just don’t bother asking for reviews. They don’t know what to do, or who to ask. Most want to ask their loyal signing companies who hire them all the time. Many claim that they only people they work for regularly are signing companies. If you ask a signing company for a review, you have a 3% chance of actually getting a review while a regular individual who verbally claims they like your work has a 12% chance of giving you a review. Ask everyone, but be realistic about what your odds are. You don’t need more than one review every six months, so a 12% chance of getting a review from individuals you ask is not bad. You just ask eight people who like you every six months and you’ll have enough reviews.

Send a link to your review page
Notaries often like to verbally tell their clients how to go and write a review about them. Nobody has the patience to navigate 123notary and find the review page. Most Notaries who ask for reviews don’t get any simply because they don’t send a link. People are busy and don’t want to bother wandering around 123notary for someone else’s benefit. Send them a link to your review page.

Finding the link
When I ask people to send a link to their review page, the first thing they say is, “I’ll login.” I say, “NO….. Don’t login. Your clients don’t know your password, so if you have to login to get to your review page, how will they get in?” Your review page is accessible to the public, so no logging in is necessary. You just find your page on 123notary.com and click on the “write a review” link above your name on your page.

Finding your page the way a customer would
If you visit the advanced seach page on 123notary.com, you can look up by n#. That will take you to your public page that clients see. The write a review link is above your name. Just click on that link, and then copy and paste the URL of that page into an email. Or use the zip search to find yourself and then click on your name in the search results to get to your page. Either method is fast and works.

Putting a link at the bottom of all emails (bad results)
I have spoken to a bunch of clients who claim they put links to their Yelp, Google, and 123notary review pages at the bottom of their emails. This works well for Google and Yelp, but not for 123notary reviews. Send customized review requests to individuals who mentioned how much they love your work. Keep it personal, and send requests within hours of when a person compliments you. Yes, that means you need to ask for their email address and write it down somewhere.

How long does it take for the review to be live?
I manually check all reviews on 123notary.com. Reviews are normally posted within 24 hours unless I’m on vacation in which case more like 96 hours. I check my email, reviews, and everything else while on vacation, but I can’t check daily as I might be in the middle of Yosemite where I don’t have access to a computer for a few days. So, be patient. Another reason why reviews don’t show up is because the person who claimed to have submitted them never did — and then I get blamed. I can’t publish what never got submitted. My site benefits every time a review is published from an SEO standpoint, so I have a lot to lose by not publishing reviews, so please do not assume that I am intentionally not publishing a review. With negative reviews (which we don’t get many of) I scrutinize them before publishing them and ask for the Notary’s rebuttal so that the public can see both sides of the story.

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You might also like:

Documenting your experience and personal style in your notes
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19052

You lose $333 each time you don’t ask for a review
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=18893

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December 31, 2016

2016 Notary Timeline – a year in review

Filed under: General Stories — admin @ 11:13 am

2016 was a great year for Notaries. Here are some of the highlights of what happened at 123notary and in the Notary industry in general.

Jan 2016 — The Notary industry was slow for most of the year, but worse in the last quarter. To the point where some short of change for the laundry didn’t even have a last quarter.

Feb 2016 — Snapdocs becomes a force to be reckoned with and Jeremy writes many snappy blog posts over the next several months about them. Snap becomes jealous. Crackle & Pop couldn’t care less.

June 2016 — Jeremy visits Facebook headquarters to see where his Facebook advertising money is going. But, Facebook refuses to give him a tour after a seven hour drive, which Jeremy tells them he didn’t like. Since they’re used to seeing a thumb down instead, they have no idea what he’s saying.

Sept 2016 — 123notary introduces mobile pages for city and state search results pages. The pages still need to be tweaked.

Nov 08, 2016 — Trump elected. Half of Americans made America great again while the other half made America grating again.

Nov 09, 2016 — 3253 of Minnesota Notaries applied for a Notary commission in Saskatchewan. The Somalis in MN wanted to make America great for the first time by legalizing Shariah law, while Notaries in Colorado are staying put as notarizing while stoned remains legalized.

Nov 10, 2016 — 123notary removes many reviews in an attempt to motivate people to get new reviews.

Dec 10, 2016 — 123notary puts old reviews back online as many Notaries got upset and Google rankings fell.

Dec 11, 2016 — Carmen stubs her toe on way to Affidavit signing, and feels better after the ID for the signer had a really funny photo where the lady looked surprised and her hair was a mess. When Carmen diplomatically told the lady she took a nice picture, the lady looked surprised and her hair stood up just like her picture.

Dec 14, 2016 — Interest rates go up a quarter of a point and are expected to go up two to three times more. We could be looking at a very slow 2017. Which is good news for people living paycheck to paycheck and can’t believe how quickly the next month’s rent check is due.

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You might also like:

The history of 123notary.com
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=17458

123notary behind the scenes
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=2499

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December 27, 2016

The Care and Feeding of Mentors

Filed under: Ken Edelstein,Popular on Facebook (shares) — Tags: — admin @ 11:01 pm

The Care and Feeding of Mentors
Jeremy published an excellent article on finding a Mentor – http://blog.123notary.com/?p=16793 OK, you followed the advice and found one willing to work with you. Now what? That is the essence of this post.
“I’m in a hurry, I don’t have much time in my schedule to devote to study or research; the bottom line is this: I want to know specifically, using my Notary License, exactly what you can do to make me rich”.

Believe it or not, that is essentially what several Mentor requesting notaries have asked me. A common theme is that they want the “fast path” to the Big Bucks. They perceive their Notary status as having the deed to a gold mine, if only they could find the exact location of their mine, to pick up the nuggets lying about for the taking. In a similar manner, when I go to the NY State Dept. offices (which administer Notary and Real Estate Broker license tests) I often hear the prospective Brokers discussing the “killing” they plan to make by selling the Empire State Building – “that commission alone will set me for life”.

There is nothing wrong with having high aspiration, but it’s real life that it also requires a large amount of perspiration to “get there”. Delusional can be defined as a false or mistaken belief or idea about something. I don’t use that word to be critical, but rather to stress the point. A Mentor devotes their time, and shares their skills and knowledge; generally without compensation. That is not always the case. I had a request to teach how to process some rather complex documents – it took a full “hands on” day; and I was paid accordingly. However, that is a rare exception.

Most requests for me to Mentor come via email and start with a liberal dose of flattery. OK, it makes sense to say something nice to someone you want to do you a favor. As covered in the above mentioned blog; I really don’t want to create competition “across the street”. So far, that has not been the case. It’s a heavy lift to train someone to be a Signing Agent from “scratch”. So I usually suggest they take a course on the subject and really learn the material. There are several sources for “basic training”. It’s just too time consuming to cover the Venue, ID requirements, Oath, and such. When I was learning to fly an airplane, initially I read about theory, and then flew simulation on my PC, graduating to renting a plane and an instructor. Getting in the plane with instructor and not knowing anything would be inefficient.

The following scenario has repeated itself several times over the past decade. I receive the request, with flattery, to help someone who wants to grow their business. Rarely is there a specific question included, just the general goal of self improvement (scores intent points) and, of course, the desire for more money. That’s fine with me – they are, in my mind, a “contender” wanting to better themselves. So, with my very first email reply I want to determine if they are willing to really WORK for their goals.

I give a “homework assignment” – it’s always the same. I ask that they read my last dozen, or more if they wish; blog entries. Then, citing which blog they are referring to: ask 12 detailed questions that relate to an issue or concept in that blog that is unclear or should be expanded upon. Why? If I’m to spend time being a true Mentor, I have to “know” the person I am working for (yes it’s working for). They have to show me that they really will put “skin in the game” and work for their own benefit. I also want to see their writing skills and get a sense of what they consider important to learn. This dispels the myth that I have a bucket of knowledge that I can simply pour in their direction. As Jeremy mentioned, there is a vast wealth in the blogs, of which my stuff makes a minor, but often useful contribution.

Sad to say: to date not a single “student” submitted their homework – not one! My intent was never to “chase them away” – If I wanted to do that I would simply reply that I was too busy. Beginners: let your prospective Mentor know that you are willing and able to WORK hard “with” them, for your gains.

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You might also like:

How to find a Notary mentor
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=16793

How to write a notes section if you are a beginner
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=16698

Notary information for beginners – best posts
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=10472

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December 22, 2016

How do I get a notarized Power of Attorney?

Filed under: Popular on Facebook (some),Popular Overall,Power of Attorney — Tags: , , — admin @ 12:25 am

How do I get a notarized Power of Attorney?

It is common to need a Notarized Power of Attorney. The issue is that many people don’t know where to go for help. You need to either find a Power of Attorney form, or have a customized one drafted by a law firm. But, be careful. If you have the wrong Power of Attorney form, it might not be acceptable to whomever the custodian of the document is, or to the courts. I am not an Attorney and can’t advise you, but I suggest you first talk to the agency you are submitting the Power of Attorney to and see what their requirements are. After that, talk to an Attorney.

Step 1. Check with the Document Custodian

Many banks want customers to use their own Power of Attorney for Banking document to be used. This Banking Power of Attorney is sometimes not on an 8.5 x 11 piece of paper. I have seen them printed on card stock in such a way where there is not enough room for a Notary seal. Banks often insist that the Notary seal is on the actual document and won’t accept Attorney written documents. So, talk to the entity you are submitting the Power of Attorney for before doing anything else.

Step 2. Draft your Power of Attorney

If necessary, get your Power of Attorney drafted by an Attorney or someone who your Attorney recommends.
If you use a standardized form from an office supply store, make sure you get it all filled out before calling the notary.
You will need to have an Attorney in Fact (Agent or Grantee,) a Grantor, and you need to specify what powers you are granting, and for how long, and under what conditions. It’s complicated and critical, which is why you need an Attorney at $200-$400 per hour!

Step 3. Find a Notary on 123notary.com!
Any notary can notarize a Power of Attorney. They can also notarize a Durable Power of Attorney, or notarize a Health Care Power of Attorney. Certain states even allow the Notary to make certified copies of a Power of Attorney. 123notary offers a wide selection of mobile notaries who can come to your home, office, hospital room, or jail cell and get your Power of Attorney notarized. Make sure you have current photo-ID issued by government agency.

Step 4. Submit your Notarized Power of Attorney
Once your POA is notarized, you might need to submit it to a particular party, or have it registered at some government office. Ask your Attorney what to do. Keep in mind that banks often have their own forms for Banking Power of Attorney which are often very simplified forms on card stock which would be significantly below the standards of an Attorney. But, if it is for their bank, they have the right to request any type of form they like. Just make sure your Attorney doesn’t object too terribly much. It’s complicated! Be prudent and consult the right people and Attorney before making your decision what to do.

Types of Powers of Attorney

Health care Power of Attorney documents which are often called health directives, medical power of attorney forms or living wills. These are normally very long documents written by an Attorney who specializes in these matters. These types of documents often specify what to do if the Grantor becomes mentally incapacitated, or have to be put on life support.

Limited Power of Attorney documents which grant authority to the grantee to perform certain actions on behalf of the Grantor.

Durable Power of Attorney documents which could stay valid even after the Grantor becomes mentally incompetent (ask an Attorney for details.)

General Power of Attorney — gives broad authorizations to the agent

Special Power of Attorney — gives specific and special powers and authorizations to the agent

Final Note
Don’t ask legal questions to Notaries or other non-Attorneys. First of all, Notaries are not trained to answer legal questions. Secondly, they are not allowed by law to answer legal questions. Get your legal questions out of the way with your Attorney before you make your initial call to the notary. Nothing is worse than keeping a notary on hold while you resolve issues that a responsible person would have resolved long before they called in a notary! Also, Notaries are not normally authorized to draft legal documents, so find someone who is legally authorized to draft legal documents which is normally someone who works as an Attorney or perhaps in the legal field.

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You might also like:

Index of posts about Power of Attorney
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=20255

Logic errors can cost you as a notary
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=20110

Index of information about documents
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=20258

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December 21, 2016

DOJ — and the risks of unsupervised notaries public.

Filed under: Popular on Linked In,Technical & Legal — Tags: , — admin @ 12:18 am

On Feb 9, 2012, the Department of Justice released some settlement terms for some of America’s largest lenders regarding the mandate of proper training and supervision of notaries. In October, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau released their Examination Manual which included requirements for the proper and correct execution of notarized documents.

There are risks to hiring uneducated and unsupervised notaries. Many do not know how to give Oaths, or properly fill out Acknowledgment or Jurat Certificates. Companies are exposed to losses should their notaries make serious mistakes. If you hire notaries, you should make sure you find a way to test them on basic notary procedures and inspect the forms that they fill out. Additionally, you should ask them all about what types of identification is acceptable and how to fill in journal entries. More than half of commissioned notary publics really don’t know what they are doing.

February 9, 2012, the U.S. Department of Justice released settlement terms for some of the nation’s largest financial institutions; including the mandate of proper training and supervision of notaries public. October 2012, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau released their Examination Manual which includes requirements for proper execution of notarized documents.

For years, educators and advocates of notaries public have warned employers of the risks associated with uneducated and unsupervised notaries public. Employers of notaries public can no longer ignore the risk to which these vital employees expose our institutions and companies. This live audio conference outlines the critical protections your company should put in place to protect your reputation and financial assets, above any statutory or regulatory responsibility to do so. In addition to the relevant settlement released in February 2012, precedent setting case law demonstrates the need for employers of notaries public to take a closer look at their notary education standards, management program, and disciplinary actions to protect their company and business transactions from losses that result from unrelated or from their own uneducated notaries public. Considering that the majority of the commissioning agencies of notaries public do not require any education of your notary-employees; your company is exposed to losses as a result of their errant processes.

After completing this live audio conference, you will understand basic notarial responsibilities, identify specific actions of notary-employees that expose your company to risk, and be able to implement a management and supervisory program that includes basic notarial education and performance expectations for all notary-employees.

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December 20, 2016

The Universal Residential Loan Application — AKA, the 1003

Filed under: (4) Documents,Popular on Linked In — Tags: , , , — admin @ 9:48 am

The Universal Residential Loan Application is a common loan document. Also known as the 1003, this document is very disturbing to the borrowers as it contains routine errors in its personal information about the borrower. This document goes over where the borrower is from, their age, where they went to school, what their income is, and social security number. It is very common for the clerks who create this document to make a plethora of mistakes.

There is often a blank page on the 1003 that says, this page intentionally left blank. That bothers borrowers as well. Some like to put a diagonal line through that page.

Backdating. Sometimes the 1003 is backdated or the lender will leave instructions not to date it at all. Why? Because the borrower, most likely, has submitted a more user-friendly form to the borrower, of which contains the same information that the 1003 does. At a closing you are often pretending that you are signing the 1003 when the borrower filled out an earlier version of the application several weeks prior to the signing. As a Notary, just don’t backdate Notary documents. But don’t worry, this one is not a Notary document, and you aren’t backdating, the borrower is.

Signing and initialing. There are different formats for the 1003. Many of the pages have one-centimeter initial lines in the bottom right corner. Keep your eyes peeled, as the different formats of this document have different arrangements. On some variations of this document, one of the pages is blank for the most part. Sometimes, you will need to have the borrower initial and sign the same page (which seems strange). Sometimes the initial lines aren’t easy to see. Sometimes you initial on top. Just make sure to check the document through and through. If you are not sure if a particular document needs an initial, it is generally a good idea to have the borrowers initial it. When in doubt, initial.

The good news is that the information in the Universal Residential Loan Application is not binding. Just make sure that the information in your Closing Disclosure or HUD is correct because that is final and binding information.

To learn more about loan documents, you can visit our free online 30 point course which goes over all of the major loan documents in a loan signing.

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You might also like:

Index of information about documents
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=20258

The 30 point course – a free loan signing course
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=14233

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December 19, 2016

It’s like having a magnet on your listing

Filed under: Reviews — Tags: — admin @ 9:36 pm

Are you listed on 123notary.com? Do you not know why you are not getting as much traffic? Is it bad luck? Is it 123notary’s fault? Or is it just the industry?

Listings on 123notary.com that typically do well have certain components.
Some of the components are visible while others while others are harder to discern. Some people with relatively modest looking listings on 123notary do very well simply because they gravitate business by having experience and skills. Those people are also likely to answer their phone and be helpful. You can’t know all of this just by looking at a listing. But, for the rest of us, what is important is what you can see.

Having a great notes section is very important for gravitating clients.
People want to read about you before they call you. If there is nothing to read, they will not want to call. If there is something to read, but that something is dull, disorganized or generic sounding, they will also be less likely to call. You need a unique and informative well organized notes section to attract business.

Having 123notary certifications means everything on 123notary.com.
Your NNA certification won’t gain you any points on our site as everybody else also has it. However, only 25% of Notaries on 123notary.com can pass the 123notary certification test and only 3% can get through the Elite test. So, if you want to stand out on our site, I think you know what you need to do.

Reviews are the most important magnet on your listing.
People want to read 3rd party information about you more than they even care about our tough certification test. So, if you are too busy to ask for reviews, or just don’t want to bother people — think again. Five or six reviews doubles your business. So, try to get some reviews today! And don’t forget to send them a link to your review page after you ask them.

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You might also like:

You lose $333 each time you don’t ask for a review
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=18893

123notary’s comprehensive guide to getting reviews
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=16290

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December 17, 2016

Who is involved with 123notary behind the scenes?

Filed under: Advertising,Popular on Facebook (shares) — Tags: — admin @ 12:05 am

When most of us see a website, we see the front end and are absolutely oblivious to what goes on behind the scenes. The fact is that running 123notary involves all types of work that you might not be aware of. Here is a breakdown of what gets done and who does what.

Hosting
123notary is hosted by Connectria and has been for eight years. They keep the site online and help solve technical issues with the servers. You might be surprised to know how much it actually costs to host 123notary. The cost is about $1500 per month and that is before a single hour of programming is billed.

Programming 1999-2010
123notary has had many programmers over the years.

Mark — was our main programmer and he built most of the functions on 123notary.

SzeWan — worked with Mark and did a lot of the phone lists and other functions of 123notary.

Peter — The original programmer for 123notary was actually Jeremy’s dad Peter who is a retired Ada Compiler programmer. Peter worked on much more sophisticated projects during his day and figured out web programming from the ground up. All of Peter’s work had to be rebuilt in newer languages such as ASP, and once again ten years later needs to be rebuilt in a newer version of ASP. When does it end?

Programming 2010-2016

InvitraTech — after Mark quit, which was a huge tragedy for 123notary, we used some programmers in India who we had used on another project. Due to some technical reasons logging into the server, we had to transfer programming to someone in Phoenix.

Phoenix Programmers –Unfortunately the guy in Phoenix had such a temper problem we had to cancel a very critical migration the day it was scheduled. We tried many programmers after that, but found them to be either incompetent, or to be unwilling to work. After that, it many months of trial and error to find another programmer who I liked and who would be loyal to us, and about two years of paying for two servers to finally get the migration to go through since I was so busy (and frustrated.)

Fred — Now, we are laying low on programming and Fred does small fixes for us. Fred was responsible for finally completing the migration and got it done very smoothly I might add.

Brent — In addition to Fred, Brent and his team help us out with fixes from time to time. This is a very long list of programmers. I think my life would have been easier if I could have found one who would stick to the job. Maybe I should have learned programming.

Sales

Carmen — has been with 123notary since 2003 which was the year our business started to really pick up. I remember sitting in the car in March 2003 answering a sales call and my friend (ex-friend) tried to get me to shut the phone off. I explained to him that my business is finally taking off, and why stifle myself? After a few months of the phone ringing off the hook which was a welcomed form of over-work after years of poverty — I came to my senses and realized I needed help. So, in 2003, I pleaded with Carmen to get her on board. She was very resistant at first believe it or not, and then developed a love and loyalty for the job which has lasted until today and hopefully for many years to come. Carmen became full-time with 123notary in 2005.

Jeremy also does outbound sales from time to time.

Adine, Wendy, Sally, and Leah have also done sales, although they all got busy with other things and decided not to work for 123notary anymore.

Writers

123notary’s blog became very popular around 2012. Instead of the world ending like the Mayans claimed, 123notay’s world got filled with interesting articles. 123notary was able to find a few amazing writers to help out. Ken does writing mostly about technical and business advice issues. Since he is an accomplished Notary, it is easy for him to write about the finer points of Notary marketing, pricing, and documents. Jeremy does a little of everything at 123notary and writes the majority of the articles. Andy is a professional TV and screen writer who wrote for Cheers, Seinfeld and more. Andy helps write comedy articles for 123notary and also helps with idea generation. Andy’s blog articles became hits and we have a folder for him in our Guest Bloggers category on our blog.

So, who else?
Mrs. Meao helped 123notary guard its working quarters from unwelcomed intruders (mice.) But, there were no mice, so Mrs. Meao took naps most of the time. In the future, I’d like to see more variety of blog writers. The problem is that the blog writing applicants come up with such lame topics that I never hire them. They are simply not in tune with what people want to read. We tried to create a teaching program, but none of the Notaries who had teaching backgrounds wanted to cooperate. So, we’ll see how 123notary develops. Wish us luck!

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The story of 123notary
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=710

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