First Month Starting a Loan Signing Business - Feeling Down...

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Hello again everyone, it's officially been one month since I started my loan signing business, and I felt like I wanted to give an update on my experiences so far. I've gotten two signings done, and I've definitely had some challenges. I really just want to let you guys know what those challenges are and how I've been working to overcome those challenges.
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I've really enjoyed getting to know you, and I love the interactions in the comments and emails I've had so far. Please keep commenting and emailing so we can continue the dialogue! Also, if there's anyone you think would benefit from my channel or my website, please share it with them!

How Long it Took to Get my Stamp

My first big challenge to starting this business was how long it took to get my stamp. As I've mentioned in my other videos, I ordered my first stamp through the National Notary Association and it took a VERY long time for my stamp to be processed and arrive for use, about 3 weeks after I got my commission from the state.

My husband and my Aunt both ordered their stamps from Amazon using this link, and they arrived quickly in about 5 days, which includes manufacturing time. I definitely recommend purchasing your stamp from Amazon!

So of course, during this time of waiting for my stamp, I was not able to do any signings at all!
When my stamp finally did come in, I was super excited and I got my first signing right away. It was an annuity through NotaryGo. It felt great to finally get out there and do some work and earn some money!

Want to know more about becoming a notary Loan Signing Agent? Click here!

The next day I got another signing, and that was with a company that I'm not going to name... BECAUSE I went out and did the signing but missed a signature that I didn't even know needed to be signed! But the company asked me to FORGE the signature when they reviewed the scan backs!

Afterwards, I came to find out that it was unusual that the loan signing service even let me do the refinance because I didn't have my background check completed...
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Just to ease your mind, I DIDNT forge the signature.

​Background Screening Issues

So I haven't been able to do any other signings since that last one because my background screening has not come through from the NNA yet. Even though I already got a background check through Oregon state, I tried calling the state and the state police but I wasn't able to get a copy of that background screening, so there isn't a way for me to use that screening to prove to the loan signing services and lenders that I'm a reputable person that doesn't have a criminal history.

So there is really no way around the NNA background screening. Because it was taking so long.. I called the screening company to find out what the delays were.

Just for some background information, my husband was in the Air Force and during that time we moved around a lot, so the screening companies need to examine more counties for my history. For some weird reason my husband's background check came back before me, my auntie got her screening results back right away.
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I here I was waiting and waiting, and they had told me that it would come in on Jan 12th. So the 12th came and went with no results, so on the 13th I called AGAIN! The screening company told me that due to COVID one of the counties I had lived in just didn't have enough people to do the screenings, and they had updated their estimated completion at the END OF JANUARY!!

Feeling Defeated...

At that point, I felt super defeated. I had done all this work to get this process going. My husband was getting signings, I was so happy for him, I am so excited for him, but there is also a part of me that feels FRUSTRATED!

Here I am doing all of this work and I keep getting roadblocks thrown up.... and I keep getting ALL These notifications for signings! My phone is going off left and right and on every one I reply that I'm available... but my background screening is incomplete in my profile and I just hear nothing back from the agencies.
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So I just started feeling REALLY DOWN, really DEFEATED and I knew that I was going to continue to struggle unless I did something to get out of that mindset.

Counting the Wins

So the first thing I did was step back and reflect on the things that had gone right for me in this journey: I took a piece of paper and I started writing down what were my wins.

What I wrote down was.. I took my Oregon State required training. and I passed it! I Applied for my Oregon State commission and I received it! I am a notary for the state of Oregon! That's awesome and a huge win!

I went to the NNA's website, took the course on Notary Essentials, learned about how to be a great notary, and I passed that exam!

I went through the whole Loan Signing System course, and I spent all that time learning about this profession, and growing as an individual and business owner, and I took that exam and passed it on the first time through. That's a huge Win!

I am a really well-educated loan signing agent and I am ready!

I also got my stamp in the mail, I got two signings completed that were amazing. Not only did I get them completed, I had the difficult situation come up with the agency asking me to forge the signature. I think that's an unusual situation and I feel like I handled it well and with grace, and professionalism... and I feel good about that, and that is a win!

Although there are some loan signing services that don't let you start completing a profile with them until you get your background screening completed, there are many of them that will let you build a profile, that will be incomplete until you can load your background screening.
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So for now I'm able to get some profiles ready so that as soon as that background screening DOES come through I'll be able to update them quickly and make myself available for any signings.

Taking Action Steps

After reflecting, I realized I just needed to DO SOMETHING to move forward! Even if it was just little baby steps, at least doing something would get me moving forward.

So I went back to my list of loan signing services and I signed up for about 20 more signing services. I was also following up with emails to the companies. I ended up getting a really sweet response from a gentleman, and we chatted back and forth a bit and he said that he would mark me as a preferred notary...
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YES, that was a total win!

Goal Setting

Even going through writing down my wins and taking action to move the business forward. I also had to think about the fact that I'm doing these things in addition to my normal life! I'm still a wife, and I'm still a mom to 5 kids, and I still need to home school, teaching reading, taking care of the kids, doing laundry and cooking healthy meals, doing conflict resolution, and just running a busy household.

I've still been doing all of those things,while also starting this YouTube channel, starting this blog, and starting a new business!

So as a result of the reflection, the writing and acknowledging the wins, focusing on all the things I have to be thankful for. I also had to sit down and work on remembering... what is my why for starting this business, and what are my goals to make sure that those really align.

One of the temptations that I can see, is that with all of these job offers coming in, if I could just take each signing, I could have been so close to paying off my initial investment into the business, and that's only in the first week after getting my stamp!

It took me sitting down with my husband and talking about what is our why.... why are we staring this business.

For us, I have a very specific reason for starting this business, a very specific amount of money that I want to earn to be able to pay for certain things for my kids, some things that we want to do for their education.

We do have a BIGGER, long term goal, that if my husband and I could do a certain number of signings each month, we could replace his income, and he could come home from work! But of course that is long term.

But in the short term, I need to not get ahead of myself! I don't want to miss too much time from my kids. I love them and I want to be with them!

Refocus

Looking back at all of these things has really helped me refocus my look on what I'm experiencing in this journey. What is my why? Are my action steps and my goals aligned with my real why? What are my wins?

Am I getting ahead of myself?

I encourage you to do that as well. Reflect, write out your wins, make sure your goals are clear and you are taking action steps to meet those goals?

Just like me, you probably have reasons to be proud of what you've accomplished.
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Tell me about your biggest accomplishment in the comments below. I want to cheer for you and tell you how proud of you I am too!