Before diving into becoming a notary public, one question crossed my mind again and again. Can being a notary be a full-time career? I am sure you are also thinking the same but unlike me, you will get an answer.
Like every other question, even this one has many layers and dimensions. It ultimately depends on the individual’s capability to scale the notary business to something big. However, is it that simple to expand your notary business and turn it into a career? Or should it be pursued as a side business?
Notary as a career
The simple answer is- it is not viable to pursue the job of notary public as a full-time career. While this may sound harsh, it is the truth. When you start out as a notary, it is tough to find clients for your business. In fact, many people find it hard to land their first gig as a notary public. Even the established small notary businesses are able to stretch around $2,400 per month. For a full-time job, this figure might not be enough.
Your potential to earn as a notary will depend on the state you want to set your notary business. Any notary business will require you to bear some start-up cost in the beginning, even before you get your first client. Notary laws of the state play a significant role in determining this cost. You may have to spend some time and money on completing a notary course, purchase a personalized notarization stamp, get liability insurance, etc. Your willingness to take up notary as a career or side gig will also depend on your willingness to bear such costs.
Notary as a side gig
A notary business is a great side gig to earn some additional income. If you feel your full-time job doesn’t pay you enough, you can definitely take up notary as a side gig. Just a change in perspective and everything looks better. As mentioned above, many notaries manage to earn $2,400 a month. As a full-time, job the figure is not impressive. However, $2,400 looks great if it is coming as a side gig. The key is to offer as many services as possible.
If you want to get into the notary business, general notary work won’t be enough to sustain your notary business. Expand as much as possible and provide other services like loan signing, apostille, and authentication, etc. Being a notary can be a good way to support your existing business. If your business provides auto-related services like transfers, then it makes sense to become a notary as transfer of cars require notarization of documents.
Conclusion
I don’t want to mince my words and leave you with more questions than answers. To put it simply, a notary business as a full-time career may not be the best option depending on your preferences and lifestyle. However, you can turn it into a full-time career if you have the patience and determination. As a side gig, being a notary is great. However, you will have to hustle a lot to get things going in your favor.
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