Foundational Fridays: Fee Structures & State Caps

Are you charging correctly for your services? Understanding how to price your work while staying compliant with the law is a vital skill for every professional. Join Eddie Montes Travis and Marylyn Lee Trotter as they break down the essential rules governing how much you can charge for your signatures and travel. • State Maximum Fees: Understanding the legal limits set by your state for individual acts to avoid overcharging and potential penalties. • Travel and Administrative Costs: How to differentiate between the statutory fee and the convenience fees you charge for mobile services. • Itemized Invoicing: The importance of providing clear receipts that separate notary fees from other service charges for transparency. • Regional Differences: Exploring why some states have flat caps while others allow for more flexible pricing structures. Staying within the law ensures your business remains credible and protected. Mastering your local fee schedule allows you to build a sustainable career without risking your commission. Please subscribe and like the podcast to keep up with all our weekly training sessions!

Show Notes:
• Understand the difference between state-mandated fees and service fees.
• Learn how to properly document and itemize your invoices for clients.
• Identify the risks of exceeding state caps on notarization acts.
• Discover strategies for calculating travel fees that cover your expenses.

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Your Sunday Notary Reading:
Notary Public Foundation: Essential Guide to Core Duties, Ethics, and Commissioning on Amazon

Your Monday Notary Reading:
Notary Operational Excellence: Mastering Certificates, Journals, Ink, and Copy Certification on Amazon

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Notary Fraud Shield: Real-World Tactics, Red Flags, and Refusal Strategies on Amazon

Your Wednesday Notary Reading:
The Mobile Notary Blueprint: Launching and Managing Your On-Demand Business on Amazon

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Notary Niche Navigator: Your Guide to Loan Signings, Apostilles, I-9s, and More on Amazon

Your Friday Notary Reading:
Notary Law & Liability: Understanding State Regulations, Insurance, and Avoiding UPL

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The Future Notary: Mastering RON, eNotary, and Complex Scenarios on Amazon

Quick & Easy Solutions: How to Increase Mobile Notary Business for More Success & Profit: with 37 Professional Tips on Amazon

Executive Producer Derrick Spruill
Writers Marylyn Lee Trotter and Eddie Montes Travis
Graphics & Illustrations by Eddie Montes Travis
Music by Thomas Bynum
This Show is Produced by Magnificent Workz
Business Solutions

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Ready to unlock your notary potential and boost your income? It's time to move beyond basic notarizations. In Notary, Niche Navigator by Derek Spruel, learn the most profitable specialized services, learn to master high-demand areas like loan signings, international apostles, and I9 employment verifications. This essential guide offers new ideas to help you become the go to expert in your field. Grab your copy of Notary, Niche Navigator, by Derek Spruel today, and start building your empire.

SPEAKER_03 0:32

You know that um that highly specific, very uncomfortable moment when you finish a job.

SPEAKER_04 0:38

Oh, I know exactly what you're gonna say.

SPEAKER_03 0:40

Right. You hand your client the invoice and you just sort of hold your breath.

SPEAKER_04 0:44

Yeah, the classic invoice anxiety.

SPEAKER_03 0:46

Exactly. It's like this universal moment of panic for anyone running a new business. You suddenly start questioning your own value right there in their living room.

SPEAKER_05 0:55

Oh, absolutely. And you know, if you're stepping into the mobile notary space, that anxiety isn't just in your head.

SPEAKER_03 1:01

No, it's really not.

SPEAKER_05 1:02

Because it's amplified by the fact that you are operating under these really strict government regulations. It's a totally different landscape than simply um, you know, selling a product or a standard consulting service.

SPEAKER_03 1:15

Yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_05 1:16

You're providing an authentication service that is literally governed by state law. So there are statutory limits just hovering over every single transaction.

SPEAKER_03 1:24

Which makes pricing feel incredibly precarious, especially when you're just starting out.

SPEAKER_05 1:28

Oh, 100%. It's terrifying at first.

SPEAKER_03 1:31

Aaron Powell, which is exactly why we're dedicating this time to mastering it. So welcome back to Notary Knowledge. And if you're new to our community, we just want to establish right up front that this show is your safe space.

SPEAKER_05 1:44

That's right.

SPEAKER_03 1:45

Whether you are in those, you know, early entry-level days or you're actively working to untangle all the complexities of running a compliant mobile business, you are absolutely in the right place.

SPEAKER_05 1:56

Yeah, we are basically here to strip away the guesswork because the goal is always to help you build a business that is both highly profitable and fiercely compliant.

SPEAKER_03 2:05

Yes. Profitable and compliant. It is so great to have you listening. We've been covering a lot of ground in our recent discussions.

SPEAKER_04 2:13

You really have.

SPEAKER_03 2:14

Like we walk through how to properly structure your notary journals. And we spent time exploring those grassroots marketing strategies to, you know, actually get your phone ringing.

SPEAKER_05 2:23

Which is kind of the most important part, right?

SPEAKER_03 2:25

Totally. So if you miss those, you will definitely want to circle back to them later. But before we launch into today's topic, please just take a quick second to rate the show, subscribe on whatever platform you use, and share this podcast with others who are building their own notary businesses.

SPEAKER_05 2:41

It genuinely helps the community so much. And uh, as you're building your foundation, make sure to visit the notary knowledge website.

SPEAKER_03 2:48

Highly recommend that.

SPEAKER_05 2:49

Yeah. If you are serious about taking your professional education to the next level, I highly recommend purchasing the Notary Knowledge book series by Derek Sprohl.

SPEAKER_03 2:57

That's so good.

SPEAKER_05 2:58

It's a brilliant seven-book compilation meant for sequential weekly reading.

SPEAKER_03 3:03

And for today's discussion specifically, you're gonna want to hone in on the Friday reading.

SPEAKER_04 3:08

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 3:08

That one is titled Notary Law and Liability Understanding State Regulations, Insurance, and Avoiding UPL. Honestly, that single book will save you a massive amount of regulatory headache.

SPEAKER_05 3:20

It really will. Which uh brings us to the mission for today. We are calling this Foundational Fridays, Fee Structures and State Caps.

SPEAKER_03 3:29

I love that title.

SPEAKER_05 3:30

Right. We're gonna demystify the mechanics of how you can ethically make a profit as a mobile notary without, you know, tripping over your state-mandated fee caps.

SPEAKER_03 3:39

Aaron Powell Because pricing is arguably the number one area where smart, well-intentioned business owners accidentally cross ethical and legal lines. Oh, all the time. They don't set out to break the law. They just um they don't understand the framework they're operating within.

SPEAKER_05 3:56

Aaron Powell And the stakes are high too. I mean, misunderstanding your pricing structure doesn't just result in an unhappy client or a bad Yelp review.

SPEAKER_03 4:03

Right.

SPEAKER_05 4:04

You're risking your actual state commission.

SPEAKER_03 4:06

Yeah, you could lose your stamp.

SPEAKER_05 4:07

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 4:08

So to get this right, we have to start with a concept outlined in the Notary Public Code of Professional Responsibility.

SPEAKER_04 4:14

Aaron Powell Okay, let's get into it.

SPEAKER_03 4:15

Aaron Powell It's the dual pricing logic. So as a mobile notary, you operate with a dual identity. Okay. On one hand, you are a state commissioned public officer, but simultaneously you're a private business operator.

SPEAKER_05 4:25

Aaron Ross Powell And those two identities carry two entirely different sets of financial rules.

SPEAKER_03 4:29

They really do.

SPEAKER_05 4:30

So let's look at your identity as a public officer first. The state grants you the authority to prevent fraud, give oaths, and authenticate critical transactions like a deed transfer or a power of attorney.

SPEAKER_03 4:44

Huge responsibility.

SPEAKER_05 4:45

Exactly. And because those acts are fundamental to the legal system, the government has to ensure that average citizens aren't priced out of basic legal necessities.

SPEAKER_03 4:54

Right, which makes sense.

SPEAKER_05 4:55

That is exactly why they establish a statutory fee cap.

SPEAKER_03 4:58

So it's basically a pure consumer protection law. Totally. The statutory fee is the state-regulated maximum amount you can charge for the actual physical act of notarizing, meaning just the application of your seal and your signature.

SPEAKER_05 5:13

Right. And those caps are all over the map depending on your jurisdiction. Like if your commission in Oregon, the state caps your fee at $10 per traditional notarial act.

SPEAKER_03 5:21

Okay, $10.

SPEAKER_05 5:22

Yeah. And $25 if you are performing a remote online notarization or on on.

SPEAKER_03 5:27

Got it. Meanwhile, a state like Maryland allows up to $25 for an original traditional notarial act.

SPEAKER_05 5:35

Oh wow. Quite a jump.

SPEAKER_03 5:36

Yeah. But as a public officer, those numbers are your legal ceiling for the stamp. But this is where the tension arises.

SPEAKER_04 5:44

Here we go.

SPEAKER_03 5:45

Because you are also a private business operator. If your state caps you at $10, how do you sustain a mobile operation?

SPEAKER_05 5:52

You can't. Not on 10 buttons.

SPEAKER_03 5:54

Right. You're paying for commercial insurance, gas, vehicle maintenance, marketing, and you know, the very real opportunity cost of sitting in traffic for an hour.

SPEAKER_05 6:04

You sustain it by recognizing that the statutory cap only governs the stamp. It does not govern the logistics. Right. So to survive, you have to charge travel and convenience fees. Yes. Those fees are not compensating you for authenticating a signature. They're compensating your private business for the heavy lifting of bringing an office directly to a client's living room or a hospital bed.

SPEAKER_03 6:26

But let's look at this from the perspective of the novice listener for a second.

SPEAKER_04 6:29

Okay, lay it on me.

SPEAKER_03 6:30

Because if I'm operating in a state with a $10 cap, right?

SPEAKER_04 6:33

Hmm.

SPEAKER_03 6:34

And I drive 45 minutes to a client's house, I do the notarization, and then I hand them an invoice for $110. Aren't they going to look up the state law right there on their phone, see a $10 limit, and suddenly accuse me of price gouging?

SPEAKER_05 6:49

It happens.

SPEAKER_03 6:50

So how do we defend that structure without looking predatory?

SPEAKER_05 6:53

The defense is extreme clarity and the physical separation of fees on your invoice.

SPEAKER_03 6:59

Okay, break that down.

SPEAKER_05 7:00

Think about the modern economy. When you order a $10 pizza on a delivery app, you know the food costs $10. Sure. But when you finalize the checkout, the total is $25. You're paying a delivery fee, a service fee, and a driver tip.

SPEAKER_03 7:14

That is so true.

SPEAKER_05 7:15

And you happily pay it because you're paying for the luxury of staying on your couch in your pajamas while someone else deals with traffic.

SPEAKER_03 7:21

Right. You don't accuse the restaurant of illegally marking up the pepperoni.

SPEAKER_05 7:25

Exactly. The pizza is the notarial act. The delivery fee is the mobile convenience. And the only way the consumer accepts that is if the receipt clearly breaks down both elements.

SPEAKER_03 7:35

Yeah, if the app just said pizza $25, you would feel completely cheated.

SPEAKER_05 7:39

100%. That separation is the key to shifting out of what we call the commodity mindset.

SPEAKER_03 7:45

Okay, I like that tone.

SPEAKER_05 7:46

Derek Sproul's Virginia-based business model is essentially the gold standard for this.

SPEAKER_03 7:50

Oh, let's talk about his model.

SPEAKER_05 7:52

So Virginia's statutory maximum is $10 per act. So Derek charges exactly $10 for the act. But he applies a starting $100 traveling convenience fee for dispatches in Loudoun and Fairfax counties.

SPEAKER_03 8:06

Okay, so if he drives to a skilled nerfing facility in Fairfax to notarize a single health care directive, his invoice is meticulously structured.

SPEAKER_04 8:15

Yep.

SPEAKER_03 8:16

Line one, notarial act, ten dollars. Line two, travel and convenience, one hundred dollars.

SPEAKER_04 8:23

Beautiful.

SPEAKER_03 8:24

The client sees exactly what they're buying, he remains fully compliant with Virginia law, and he maintains a profitable margin.

SPEAKER_05 8:30

Exactly. By clearly itemizing the value of his mobility, he stops being a generic ten dollar commodity and establishes himself as a premium specialized service.

SPEAKER_03 8:39

That is so smart. Okay, we're gonna take a moment to pause for a quick commercial break, but don't go anywhere. When we come back, we're diving into the National Notary Association's best practices.

SPEAKER_05 8:51

We'll be right back.

SPEAKER_03 8:52

All right, welcome back. So before the break, we talked about the logic of travel fees. But how do we actually implement this systematically?

SPEAKER_05 9:01

Well, the National Notary Association has published a set of five best practices for handling travel fees, and they map perfectly onto this idea of transparency.

SPEAKER_03 9:11

Let's walk through.

SPEAKER_05 9:12

The most critical rule is what we just discussed. Keep travel fees completely separate from notarization fees on the invoice. Never use a vague line item like notary services for the total amount.

SPEAKER_03 9:24

Because if you're ever audited by the state and they see a single line item for $110, they're going to assume that entire amount was charged for the stamp.

SPEAKER_05 9:31

Exactly.

SPEAKER_03 9:32

Which means they will assume you broke the law.

SPEAKER_05 9:34

Right. Now, the next crucial practice is agreeing on the travel fee in advance.

SPEAKER_03 9:38

Oh, this is huge.

SPEAKER_05 9:39

You never want to arrive at a location, perform the service, and then surprise the client with a $60 travel fee they weren't expecting. That is the fastest way to get a complaint filed against your commission.

SPEAKER_03 9:50

Yeah, nobody likes a surprise fee.

SPEAKER_05 9:52

No. And tip number three, you also have to establish a policy for incomplete notarizations up front. Aaron Powell Right.

SPEAKER_03 9:59

Like what happens if you drive an hour to a signing and the client hands you a driver's license that expired four years ago?

SPEAKER_05 10:05

Happens more often than you'd think.

SPEAKER_03 10:06

Aaron Ross Powell You legally cannot proceed with the notarization. The question is, do they still owe you for the travel?

SPEAKER_05 10:13

Well, if you didn't tell them your policy before you put the key in your ignition, you are gonna have a very hard time collecting that fee.

SPEAKER_03 10:19

So true.

SPEAKER_05 10:20

This is why tip number four, optionally requesting payment in advance, like a booking retainer for the travel portion, is a brilliant way to protect your business. Your gas and time are covered regardless of their inability to produce proper ID.

SPEAKER_03 10:34

That makes total sense. And tip number five is just administratively making sure your notary journal reflects all of this. Your journal should record the travel fee separately from the notarial act fee, just like your invoice does. Everything needs to match.

SPEAKER_05 10:49

Exactly. Now taking these general NNA best practices and applying them to specific states is where things get really fascinating.

SPEAKER_03 10:57

Oh, because the regulations wildly vary.

SPEAKER_05 10:59

Wildly. Look at Maryland. Maryland heavily regulates the travel aspect. They cap travel fees strictly at the IRS standard mileage rate for business travel plus a flat fee not to exceed five dollars.

SPEAKER_03 11:11

Aaron Powell Okay, so the legislative intent there is clearly to remove arbitrary pricing. Maryland wants a mathematical standard based on actual distance rather than leaving it up to market rates.

SPEAKER_05 11:21

Exactly. But then contrast that with Nevada, which takes a totally different approach.

SPEAKER_03 11:26

What does Nevada do?

SPEAKER_05 11:27

And Nevada allows you to charge hourly rates for travel.

SPEAKER_03 11:29

Oh, interesting.

SPEAKER_05 11:30

Yeah. You can charge up to $15 per hour during the day and $30 per hour at night. And Nevada provides a unique statutory shield for the business owner.

SPEAKER_03 11:39

Aaron Powell What kind of shield?

SPEAKER_05 11:40

If a client agrees to the travel fee and then cancels while the notary is already in transit, state law dictates the notary is still entitled to that fee.

SPEAKER_03 11:50

Oh wow. That is a massive protection. Probably born out of the fact that Nevada has vast rural stretches where a notary might drive two hours for an appointment.

SPEAKER_05 12:00

Aaron Ross Powell Exactly. An hourly rate makes far more logistical sense there than strict mileage.

SPEAKER_03 12:05

But then you have a state like Colorado, which serves as a severe warning about administrative precision.

SPEAKER_05 12:10

Yeah, Colorado does not mess around.

SPEAKER_03 12:12

No. They implemented strict new administrative rules recently, requiring notaries to provide a written, itemized document of all fees before the Notarial Act and a detailed receipt after.

SPEAKER_05 12:24

Yeah, the reason Colorado went to this extreme is because they were inundated with consumer complaints about ambiguous pricing.

SPEAKER_04 12:30

Right.

SPEAKER_05 12:30

We can use a mechanic analogy to understand the burden of proof here. If you take your car to a mechanic and they hand you a scrap of paper that just says $800, you immediately suspect they marked up the price of the parts.

SPEAKER_03 12:42

Oh, for sure. You feel like you're being scammed.

SPEAKER_05 12:44

But if they give you an itemized invoice that says parts, $100, diagnostic labor, $700, you might not like the price, but you understand the breakdown.

SPEAKER_03 12:55

Colorado essentially applied that logic to notaries, but with a punitive twist.

SPEAKER_05 13:01

Yeah, a big twist.

SPEAKER_03 13:02

If a Colorado notary fails to separately itemize the travel fee in writing, the state legally presumes that the notary illegally overcharged for the notarial act.

SPEAKER_05 13:13

The burden of proof is entirely on you. Even if you verbally explain the travel fee perfectly, failing to put that separation on paper means the state assumes you broke the law. Wow. Yeah, putting your entire commission at risk.

SPEAKER_03 13:25

It just proves that invoicing isn't just a bookkeeping task, it is a fundamental part of your legal duty.

SPEAKER_04 13:30

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 13:31

Okay, we're gonna pause for one more quick commercial break. Stick with us because when we come back, we're doing our favorite segment.

SPEAKER_04 13:37

Can't wait.

SPEAKER_03 13:37

All right, welcome back.

SPEAKER_04 13:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 13:39

So the law often looks very clear in a state handbook, but it gets muddy when you're actually standing in a client's living room. Oh what? So we are gonna pivot to our favorite segment. Good question. What would you do?

SPEAKER_05 13:51

This is where we take all of these rules and apply them to hypothetical real-world scenarios submitted by you, our listeners, from across the country.

SPEAKER_03 13:59

Let's look at scenario one, submitted by Ava in Florida. Ava says, My state limits my notary fee to $10. I live in a heavily congested area, so I charge a high travel fee to make it worth my time and traffic. How do I avoid clients complaining to the state that I'm overcharging them?

SPEAKER_05 14:17

Okay, so Ava is highlighting a really common fear. Florida caps traditional acts at $10 and Ron Axe at $25. Right. But the great news for Ava is that Florida does not cap or strictly regulate travel fees. She is operating in a free market for her travel rates.

SPEAKER_03 14:33

That's a relief for her.

SPEAKER_05 14:34

Yeah. The solution to her anxiety is found directly in the Florida Governor's Reference Manual. The manual mandates that if you charge fees for services not directly related to the notarization, like a high convenience fee, you must provide the customer with an itemized list of those charges beforehand.

SPEAKER_03 14:50

So the state is basically saying you can charge whatever the market will bear for travel as long as there is zero deception.

SPEAKER_05 14:57

Precisely.

SPEAKER_03 14:58

If you provide that itemized breakdown in advance and the client consents, your commission is fully protected from overcharging complaints.

SPEAKER_05 15:05

Easy enough. Moving to scenario two, Julian in Washington State asks about the mechanics of that communication.

SPEAKER_03 15:12

Okay, what's Julian asking?

SPEAKER_05 15:13

He says, I know I have to tell people about the travel fee, but what exactly do I need to say to them before I drive to their location?

SPEAKER_03 15:20

Ooh, Washington is highly prescriptive about this. Julian's dealing with a strict verbal disclosure rule under WAC 308-30220.

SPEAKER_05 15:30

That's a mouthful.

SPEAKER_03 15:31

It is. The state understands that when a commissioned official shows up with a stamp, consumers often assume every fee on the invoice is government mandated. Right. So to break that illusion, Washington requires informed consent. Julian can't just say my travel fee is $50.

SPEAKER_05 15:46

No, he has to agree on the fee in advance. Explicitly explain that the travel fee is in addition to the statutory notarial fee. And most importantly, state clearly that the travel fee is not required by law.

SPEAKER_03 15:59

Yes. If I were Julian, I would script that out. Like put a sticky note right on your monitor that says, just so you know, my travel fee is X out. This is in addition to the state notary fee, and the travel fee is not required by law.

SPEAKER_05 16:12

Perfect.

SPEAKER_03 16:13

Just read it verbatim every time you book a client.

SPEAKER_05 16:15

It removes all the desk work. Okay. Scenario three comes from Stella in New Jersey. She writes, I often show up to appointments and get stuck waiting in the lobby for 30 or 40 minutes because the signer isn't ready or they're looking for their ID. Can I charge for wait time?

SPEAKER_03 16:30

Oh, Stella is hitting on a massive drain on profitability there.

SPEAKER_05 16:33

It is the worst.

SPEAKER_03 16:34

So New Jersey does not set specific travel or convenience fee guidelines, giving her some flexibility. We can look at how veteran notaries like Guy Case handle prison notarizations.

SPEAKER_05 16:44

Oh, that's a great example.

SPEAKER_03 16:46

Right. When you go to a prison, you have no control over the facility's timeline. You might wait two hours. So it is standard industry practice for those specialists to charge a standby or wait time fee for delays over 30 minutes.

SPEAKER_05 17:00

Yep. The caveat for Stella, though, is the upfront boundary. She can implement a wait time fee, but only if that policy is clearly communicated and agreed upon during the initial booking.

SPEAKER_04 17:11

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_05 17:11

She cannot just invent a surprise wait time fee at the end of the appointment because she's frustrated. It has to be in her upfront terms of service.

SPEAKER_03 17:19

Exactly. If you don't communicate the penalty before you leave your house, you really just have to eat the cost of that wasted time.

SPEAKER_05 17:25

Sad but true. Let's tackle scenario four. Carter in Ohio points out that Ohio's maximum statutory fee is only five dollars.

SPEAKER_03 17:34

Wow. Five dollars.

SPEAKER_05 17:36

Yeah, so he asks, am I allowed to offer a discount or charge zero dollars for the stamp in order to win a client's business?

SPEAKER_03 17:42

You know, it seems counterintuitive to charge less than five dollars, but Carter's asking a foundational question about state caps. The caps are maximums, not minimums.

SPEAKER_04 17:51

Right.

SPEAKER_03 17:51

You are never forced by the state to charge the ceiling. Washington state law actually codifies this explicitly, noting that, quote, a notary public need not charge for notarial acts.

SPEAKER_05 18:03

We see this zero fee structure utilized constantly by notary signing agents. When a signing agent handles a real estate closing, they might be paid a flat signing services fee of $150 by a title company. Yep. That flat fee covers printing massive loan packages, courier services, and guiding the signing. To keep the accounting clean, they routinely record zero doll for the actual notarial acts in their journals. That makes sense. They discount the stamp to zero because they're being compensated for the larger premium package. So Carter has full authority to charge zero dollars for the act if it strategically fits his business model.

SPEAKER_03 18:40

Good to know. Our scenario five brings up the most dreaded situation. Oh Harper in Massachusetts writes, I drove 40 minutes to a hospital appointment. When I got there, the client didn't have any valid unexpired ID. I couldn't notarize the document, and the family was angry and demanded a refund of my travel fee. Do I have to give it back?

SPEAKER_05 19:01

Oof. Because Massachusetts doesn't regulate travel fees, Harper has to rely entirely on her own business infrastructure here. Yeah. We look back to the NNA best practices and policies from operators like Derek Sproul. Derek employs a strict 25% cancellation fee if a client fails to meet the requirements after confirming an appointment.

SPEAKER_03 19:20

So for Harper, it all hinges on her upfront cancellation policy.

SPEAKER_05 19:24

Completely.

SPEAKER_03 19:24

She must establish terms stating that travel fees are non-refundable if the signing cannot occur due to the client's lack of valid ID.

SPEAKER_04 19:32

Right.

SPEAKER_03 19:33

If she communicated that policy at the time of booking, she is legally entitled to retain her fee for the gas and time expended, regardless of the family's frustration. Her business provided the travel, the client failed to provide the ID.

SPEAKER_05 19:45

Exactly. I mean, every single one of these scenarios circles back to the exact same core theme. You have to treat your practice like a real business, which means setting boundaries and communicating them relentlessly.

SPEAKER_03 19:58

If you don't fiercely protect your own time, your clients certainly won't. And that really leads us to our final thought for today. We want to challenge you to look at these fee structures not just as ways to avoid going to jail, but as the exact tools you need to overcome the commodity mindset. Yeah, it's a race to the bottom that just leads straight to burnout.

SPEAKER_05 20:30

Yep.

SPEAKER_03 20:31

But when you master your pricing structure, something shifts. When you confidently itemize the value of your mobility and you implement professional wait time and cancellation policies, you stop being viewed as a generic utility.

SPEAKER_05 20:44

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 20:44

You elevate your business, you become a premium specialized expert.

SPEAKER_05 20:48

And clients stop haggling over a travel fee because they aren't just paying for a stamp. They're paying for your accuracy, your professional boundaries, and the absolute peace of mind you bring to their most critical documents. Know your worth and structure your business to reflect it.

SPEAKER_03 21:03

Well said. We want to hear how you're implementing these structures or if you have questions about the specific nuances in your state. Email your questions to Derek at dereksbruel.com. We will try to answer as soon as possible at the end of our shows.

SPEAKER_05 21:17

We truly appreciate you spending your time building your knowledge base with us today.

SPEAKER_03 21:21

Exec producer Derek Sproul, lead writer Marilyn Lee Trotter, graphics Eddie Montez Travis, Music Thomas Bynum, produced by Magnificent Works Business Solutions.

SPEAKER_05 21:30

Don't just be listeners of the knowledge, be doers of the knowledge.

SPEAKER_03 21:33

This is notary knowledge.

SPEAKER_05 21:35

Until next time.

SPEAKER_02 22:00

Tools of the trade, and exactly how to protect yourself while building a respected business. Get your copy of becoming a notary on Amazon, and step into a rewarding profession.

SPEAKER_00 22:11

Philosophical, going home, so you know I'm the prodigal prodigy, probably definitely giving glory. So pardon me, pardon me, giving them all of you. But this is the start of me. Save any kingdom, yeah. This is a robbery. I've been made into art. Started from pottery, been at the bottom, I started from poverty. At his feet is where I ought to be humbly. I admit I was wrong, but you know my heart, and you know what I'm saying.