Before you can negotiate, you must understand what you truly bring to the table. Clients aren’t paying for a stamp; they’re paying for:

• Your knowledge of laws and procedures that keeps their transaction compliant

• Your reliability and flexibility—mobile, online, or iPen service at their convenience

• Your accuracy and professionalism that prevent costly errors

• Your insurance, certification, and background screening

• The peace of mind of knowing their documents are handled correctly

When you realize this, your pricing becomes purposeful—not reactionary.

Know your minimums. Research your state’s fee limits, and then calculate your additional business expenses—travel time, mileage, printing, technology fees, or witness coordination.

Once you’ve determined your baseline, communicate it clearly and confidently. You don’t need to justify your pricing, but you do need to understand it well enough to explain it when appropriate.

Example:

“My base fee includes travel and document handling. If you need witnesses, there’s a small additional charge, which I can arrange for you.”

Transparency builds trust, and trust sustains business.

Negotiation doesn’t mean forcing your rate—it means finding balance. It’s perfectly fine to accept a higher offer when it’s deserved. But demanding higher fees without clear justification can reflect poorly on your professionalism and harm your reputation among the very audience you’re trying to attract.

Clients remember attitude just as much as accuracy. If they sense arrogance or inconsistency in pricing, they’re less likely to recommend you.

When discussing fees, steer the conversation toward value, not just numbers. For instance:

“For $100, I’ll meet you at your preferred location, verify all signatures, and ensure your documents are executed correctly and delivered securely.”

This approach transforms your fee into a solution, not a cost.

You have every right to be compensated fairly for your time, skill, and expertise—but professionalism means earning that compensation through consistency, excellence, and genuine service.

Negotiate confidently, price responsibly, and always remember:

Professional integrity attracts professional opportunities.

There’s nothing wrong with managing multiple businesses. In fact, diversification can be smart and rewarding. The problem begins when those businesses start to suffer because you simply cannot show up 100% for each of them. Customers notice. They feel it in delayed responses, inconsistent service, or a lack of follow-through. And frustrated customers will do what frustrated customers always do—they look elsewhere for a business that can meet their needs consistently.

When one business starts slipping, the damage doesn’t stop there. Word-of-mouth spreads quickly, and reputation is everything in small business. A client who feels neglected in one area may question your ability across the board. Soon, instead of managing multiple successful businesses, you may find yourself putting out fires and losing credibility in every direction.

If this sounds familiar, it may be time to pause and reflect. Ask yourself:

• Can I realistically continue to manage multiple businesses without sacrificing quality?

• Do I need help? Maybe it’s time to delegate, hire support, or outsource tasks.

• Which business truly serves me best? Not all ventures deserve equal attention. Some may align with your long-term vision, while others may be draining your energy and resources.

The key is honesty. Avoid letting pride or fear of “giving up” keep you from making strategic choices that protect both your sanity and your reputation.

Change is part of growth, but it needs to be intentional. What’s easier for you as the business owner may not always be beneficial to your customers. For example, shifting business hours, changing processes, or reducing services to make operations lighter may save you time—but it could frustrate your clients and push them to seek alternatives.

Similarly, opening too many businesses in a short period of time can send the wrong message. It often signals a lack of focus and the inability to stick with one venture long enough to let it mature. Customers want stability, and when they see constant pivots or a new venture every few months, they may question your ability to fully commit to any of them.

Clients don’t expect perfection, but they do expect commitment. They want to feel like they’re working with someone who values their time, money, and trust. By narrowing your focus, setting boundaries, and seeking support, you’ll not only improve your business operations but also strengthen relationships with the very people who keep your businesses alive—your customers.

As notaries, one of the tools we must maintain is a journal of our notarial acts. While the law in many states may leave the format up to us, the choice between a paper journal and an electronic journal (ejournal) often comes down to business practicality.

Ejournals are an excellent choice for notaries who perform consistent and frequent notarizations. If you are running a busy practice, handling real estate closings, or providing remote online notarization (RON) services daily, the subscription cost for an ejournal is more than justified.

• Efficiency: Entries can be automated, time-stamped, and linked to electronic records.

• Compliance: Some states require ejournals for RON, making them non-negotiable in those cases.

• Organization: Digital storage makes it easy to retrieve past entries quickly.

For the full-time or high-volume notary, an ejournal isn’t just convenient—it’s a necessity.

But what about notaries who only perform occasional notarizations? For those with inconsistent or part-time work, paying a monthly or annual subscription for an ejournal can quickly become an unnecessary expense.

• Affordability: A paper journal is a one-time purchase that can last years.

• Simplicity: No login credentials, software, or updates needed—just pen and paper.

• Practicality: If you’re only notarizing a handful of documents each month, a paper journal gets the job done without added costs.

Paper journals remain the more sustainable option for notaries whose workload doesn’t yet justify the expense of digital systems.

In my opinion, the best way to look at it is simple:

• Consistent notary work = Ejournal

• Inconsistent notary work = Paper journal

It’s not about which tool is “better” overall, but about which tool is better for your business model right now. A notary just starting out or working only on occasion may not see a return on investment from an ejournal subscription. But as business grows, switching to an ejournal can streamline operations and increase professionalism.

I currently use a traditional paper notary journal. While I used an electronic journal for about three years, I ultimately decided to switch back to paper based on my own experience.

Electronic journals certainly offer convenience, but I found there were also some drawbacks. Each appointment required opening the app, waiting for it to connect, and scanning the signer’s ID, which sometimes added unnecessary time to the notarization process. On one occasion, the app crashed completely during an appointment, leaving me no choice but to revert to a paper journal.

That experience reinforced the importance of having a reliable system that works every time. For me, a paper journal has proven to be faster, simpler, and more dependable in the field.

Today, I use The Notary Education Group's Notary Journal, which was designed with working notaries in mind. If you're looking for a durable, easy-to-use journal, you can find it on our Notary Supplies page.

Choosing the right journal format is another example of how notaries must think like business owners. Every tool we use—whether physical or digital—should align with our workload, budget, and long-term goals.

So before you make the decision, ask yourself:

• How often am I notarizing in-person?

• Do I perform remote online notarizations?

• Does my current income justify an ongoing subscription fee?

Your answers will guide you toward the right choice.