How to Start and Grow a Notary Signing Service

There is a big difference between creating a job for yourself and building a business that can continue operating when you're not personally completing every appointment.

I recently sat down with Michele and Anthony from Florida Preferred Notary to talk about how they made that transition. Anthony became a signing agent in 2010 after finding an opportunity on Craigslist while he was working in the financial industry. He started part-time in New Jersey, moved to Florida in 2012, and eventually built enough direct business that he couldn't physically cover every appointment himself.

Michele later joined him, first balancing notary work with the cleaning business she already owned. By 2018, she had sold that business and committed fully to building their notary business together. Over time, what began as two people handling appointments developed into a signing service that could coordinate notaries for clients in different locations.

Their story offers a useful look at what scaling a notary business actually involves, including the parts that aren't as simple as sending an order to another notary and collecting the difference.

When You Can't Be in Two Places at Once

One of the first signs that Anthony needed help was a good problem to have: clients wanted him in multiple places at the same time.

As his direct relationships grew, he started receiving overlapping requests. Michele became commissioned and began helping with appointments while still operating her cleaning business. Eventually, managing both became difficult enough that she had to decide which business she wanted to pursue.

She chose the notary business and joined Anthony full-time in 2018.

At that stage, however, they were still primarily doing the work themselves. The larger transition came years later when clients began asking whether they could help locate notaries outside their immediate area.

At first, they simply found someone who could complete the assignment. It wasn't yet a formal signing service, but it planted the idea that their business could earn revenue without Michele or Anthony personally attending every signing.

The Vacation That Changed How They Viewed the Business

The turning point came while they were visiting Anthony's family in New Jersey.

They realized that whenever they traveled for a couple of weeks, their income normally stopped because they weren't physically completing appointments. During one trip in 2024, however, they coordinated signings for other notaries and earned roughly $2,000 without personally completing a single signing.

For Anthony, that was an eye-opening moment.

Michele had already been encouraging him to build a signing service, but Anthony admits that he had the classic self-employed mindset of believing that if he didn't personally do something, it wouldn't be done correctly. The experience helped show him that the business could function differently.

By late 2024, they decided to make the signing service official, and their SigningOrder platform went live at the beginning of 2025.

That shift is important because scaling requires a different mindset. When you're a signing agent, you're responsible primarily for your own performance. When you're operating a signing service, you're responsible for creating systems that allow other people to perform the work while still delivering the level of service your client expects.

Running a Signing Service Is Different From Doing the Signing Yourself

Michele now spends much more of her time managing the operational side of the signing service, including finding notaries and reviewing scans. Anthony still handles some personal closings, but they increasingly send appointments to what they call their "notary partners."

That terminology is intentional.

They don't want the people working with them to feel like another name buried in a database. Michele and Anthony try to develop actual relationships with the notaries they regularly use, including hosting networking events where people can meet in person.

That relationship-focused approach also benefits the business. When an order comes in, they're not always starting from scratch. They have professionals they've worked with before, understand their strengths, and know whether they can trust them with a client.

At the same time, running a signing service means giving up some control. Michele and Anthony pointed out that you can control your own actions as a signing agent, but you can't completely control another independent professional. A notary can misunderstand an instruction, use the wrong ink, make an error, or handle something differently than expected.

That's why systems, communication, training, and quality control become increasingly important as the business grows.

Other Notaries Can Be Partners, Not Competitors

One of the strongest themes in our conversation was collaboration.

Michele and Anthony don't recommend entering the industry assuming every other notary is your competition. Their business actually depends on developing relationships with other notaries.

They pointed out that networking can create practical opportunities. You may need someone to help with a signing, serve as a witness when appropriate, or accept an appointment that you can't cover. Other notaries can also become people you learn from and refer business to.

They also stressed the importance of professionalism when talking about competitors. If a potential client says they're already working with another signing service, Anthony doesn't respond by criticizing that company. He keeps the conversation professional.

That reputation matters. The notary community can be surprisingly interconnected, and the person you're competing with today may be the person you need to collaborate with tomorrow.

Face-to-Face Marketing Can Still Build Direct Clients

While many notaries focus heavily on social media, Anthony prefers face-to-face marketing.

He visits local title offices, introduces himself, and leaves professional marketing materials. Over the years, those materials have evolved from a basic black-and-white page created in Word to a more polished folder containing information about the company, their photo, business cards, flyers, and other branded materials.

His approach is also centered on service rather than simply saying, "Hire me."

When working with local title offices, for example, he looks for ways to make the relationship easier. That might include scanning documents or personally returning packages when practical rather than automatically dropping everything at a shipping location. Returning documents can also create another opportunity to see escrow officers and continue building the relationship.

The takeaway isn't that every notary needs to market exactly the same way. It's that direct clients need a reason to remember you, and personal relationships can still be incredibly valuable in an industry built around trust.

Remote Online Notarization Can Expand What a Signing Service Offers

Michele and Anthony don't personally perform RON, but their signing service still handles remote opportunities by working with Remote Online Notaries.

When a seller or client is in a difficult-to-service location, one of the first questions they may consider is whether the transaction can be completed remotely. Instead of becoming RON providers themselves, they built relationships with notaries who can handle those assignments when appropriate.

Some of those relationships started through networking events. Others began when RON notaries contacted Florida Preferred Notary directly and introduced themselves.

That's worth paying attention to if you're trying to get more RON work.

You don't necessarily need to market only to the end client. Signing services that receive remote requests may also need reliable RON professionals they can call. Introducing yourself and building a track record can put you on that list.

You Don't Have to Personally Perform Every Role

Another interesting part of Michele and Anthony's business is how they've involved family members.

Their daughter began helping with administrative work when she was younger and continues helping with certain business tasks as an adult. She became a notary as well, but ultimately decided that performing notarizations wasn't really her thing.

Instead of forcing that role, they found other ways she could contribute to the business.

The same concept can apply when involving a spouse or another family member. Someone may not want to perform signings, but they might be good at invoicing, accounting, administrative work, marketing, scheduling, or another operational responsibility.

A growing notary business needs more than notaries. It needs people and systems that can support everything happening around the appointments.

Be Careful With Income Expectations

One question new notaries naturally ask is how much money they can make.

Anthony shared examples of what he believes may be possible based on workload, location, and the opportunities available, but he was also clear that there isn't one universal income number. Market conditions, experience, location, availability, fees, and the amount of work someone is willing to take can all affect earnings.

He also explained how experience can affect what a signing service is willing to pay.

Florida Preferred Notary can see a notary's history on the platforms they use, including completed orders, reviews, and preferred status. If someone has no track record with them yet, Anthony may be less inclined to pay a premium compared with a notary whose work they already know and trust.

That doesn't mean they refuse to work with beginners. Michele shared an example of a new California notary who openly admitted that she had her commission but didn't yet understand loan signings. Michele spent time going through the documents with her, and the notary successfully completed the assignment.

Experience has to start somewhere. Being honest about what you know, being willing to learn, and doing excellent work when someone gives you that first opportunity can help build the track record that leads to better opportunities later.

Training Can Change the Direction of Your Business

Anthony had already been a signing agent for years before he learned to intentionally pursue direct clients.

For much of his earlier career, he worked through signing services and was still able to build significant revenue. He explained that he didn't fully understand the concept of actively marketing for direct business until he received additional training years into his career.

That changed how he thought about the business.

Training isn't only about learning where signatures and initials go. It can also expose you to different business models, marketing strategies, client types, and opportunities you may not have considered.

For someone new to loan signing work, Michele and Anthony emphasized getting properly trained rather than assuming a notary commission alone prepares you to handle an entire loan package.

Don't Ignore Notary Directories

Even though Anthony prefers face-to-face marketing for direct relationships, he and Michele have still seen business come through online directories.

They mentioned resources such as Notary Rotary and Notary Cafe, including an example where a company in Brazil found them through Notary Cafe and later became a client.

A directory listing may seem passive compared with visiting a title company or directly reaching out to a prospect, but it can create another path for someone to discover you.

A strong marketing strategy doesn't necessarily need to rely on one channel. Face-to-face outreach, professional relationships, networking, directories, referrals, and online visibility can all support one another.

Client Retention Doesn't Have to Be Complicated

Getting a direct client is only part of the work. Keeping the relationship matters too.

Michele and Anthony make an effort to visit clients when they're nearby. Sometimes they'll bring lunch or empanadas. Other times it might be something small for the office, such as a candle, soap, a thank-you card, or a coffee gift card.

The point isn't to spend a lot of money.

It's to maintain the relationship and show appreciation.

This is one of the simplest lessons from their interview, but it can be easy to overlook when you're focused on finding the next client.

Your existing clients already know who you are. They've already experienced your service. Staying connected can be much easier than constantly rebuilding trust with someone new.

What Should You Know Before Starting a Signing Service?

When I asked Michele and Anthony what they would tell someone considering starting a signing service, their answer made one thing clear: it's a different business from simply being a signing agent.

You're no longer responsible only for your own work. You're coordinating other professionals, reviewing work, communicating with clients, solving problems, and maintaining quality even when you aren't the person sitting at the signing table.

Anthony recommends using a dedicated signing-service platform rather than trying to manage everything manually. He also emphasized understanding the documents yourself before trying to manage other signing agents. In his view, becoming a strong signing agent first gives you the knowledge needed to recognize problems and properly support the notaries working with you.

You'll also need to understand your numbers. What are clients willing to pay? What is a reasonable fee for the notary completing the assignment? What operating costs does your company have? What margin does the business need to remain sustainable?

Scaling doesn't remove the work. It changes the kind of work you're responsible for.

From Self-Employed Notary to Business Owner

Michele and Anthony's story shows what can happen when you stop thinking only about how many appointments you can personally complete.

Anthony began as a part-time signing agent. Michele eventually joined him. Together, they built direct relationships, developed a network of notary partners, and created a signing service that can continue coordinating appointments even when they aren't physically available to perform them.

That transition required Anthony to move away from the idea that he needed to personally control every signing. It also required systems, relationships, training, and trust in other professionals.

For notaries who want to grow, that's an important distinction.

You can build a successful business around performing the service yourself, and there's nothing wrong with that model. But if your goal is to create something that can eventually operate beyond your own calendar, you'll need to start thinking about delegation, processes, partnerships, client retention, and the experience you're creating for everyone involved.

Sometimes the next stage of your notary business isn't figuring out how to fit another signing into your schedule.

It's building a business that doesn't require you to personally attend every signing at all.