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How long would you keep marketing your notary business with zero response?

Seven days?
Thirty?
Ninety?

In this episode of the Sign & Thrive Podcast for Notaries, Bill Soroka sits down with Victor Diaz of Andre Mobile Notary Service in Houston, Texas to unpack what really happens when you commit to daily prospecting — even when nothing seems to be working.

Victor spent nearly 120 days sending outreach emails to estate planning attorneys without a single reply. No encouragement. No validation. No quick wins.

Most notaries would have quit.

He didn’t.

Today, one attorney alone sends him steady weekly work — and that relationship started with an email that initially went unanswered.

This conversation is a real-world case study in notary marketing, consistency, and professional growth.

Inside this episode, you’ll learn:

• What “staying top of mind” actually means in a service business
• Why most notaries quit too early
• How to structure your day around energy and productivity
• The difference between motivation and commitment
• How to market to estate planning attorneys the right way
• Why email prospecting works (even when it feels like it doesn’t)
• How one referral relationship can change your entire business
• The power of follow-up and professional persistence
• How to confidently talk about your notary services anywhere
• Why simply having a Google Business Profile is not enough

Victor shares how he blocked his time, committed to daily execution, and refined his outreach instead of chasing new tactics every week. He explains how community accountability and structured habits helped him stay disciplined through discouraging seasons.

You’ll also hear how he:

• Built relationships with attorneys by adding value beyond the signing table
• Helped referral partners grow their own visibility
• Asked for reviews strategically
• Created a referral loop that brings business back to him
• Turned everyday conversations into real opportunities

This is not hype.
This is not overnight success.
This is what one full year of disciplined marketing looks like.

If you are a mobile notary, loan signing agent, apostille agent, or estate signing specialist struggling to get traction, this episode will challenge you in the best way possible.

Because the truth is simple:

The work that builds a sustainable notary business is not glamorous.
It happens in daily emails.
In follow-up calls.
In uncomfortable conversations.
In showing up when no one is responding yet.

And when it compounds — it compounds fast.

Victor also shares his perspective on professionalism in the notary industry, ongoing education, and why commitment to growth separates serious business owners from hobbyists.

If you’ve ever wondered:

“Is this even working?”
“How long should this take?”
“Am I doing enough?”
“Why isn’t my phone ringing?”

This episode is your reality check — and your encouragement.

Stay consistent.
Refine your approach.
Honor your commitment.
Give it time.

Because sometimes, the phone starts ringing right after most people would have quit.

To connect with Bill and explore the High Performance Notary community, visit NotaryCoach.com or join at skool.com/notary.

If this episode resonates with you, share it with another notary who needs to hear it — especially the one who’s thinking about quitting too soon.

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Most people are watching.

They’re reading, learning, absorbing… but rarely speaking up.

If that sounds like you, you’re not alone—and you’re not doing anything wrong.

In fact, research on online communities shows that nearly 90% of people are “lurkers.” They observe, they learn quietly, and they stay on the sidelines while a small percentage of members drive most of the conversation.

But here’s the question this episode explores:

Is staying quiet neutral… or is it quietly costing you more than you realize?

In this episode of the Sign & Thrive Podcast, Bill Soroka takes a deeper look at the psychology behind lurking, why it’s such a common behavior across platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook groups, Skool communities, training programs, and Zoom calls—and when it’s time to move beyond it.

This isn’t about posting more for the sake of being visible.

It’s about developing the skill of contribution.

Because the professionals who grow the fastest aren’t the ones consuming the most information… they’re the ones learning how to bring value in the rooms they’re already in.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why lurking is completely normal—and why it still has a ceiling
• The 90–9–1 rule and how it shows up in real communities like High Performance Notary
• What actually counts as an “online community” (hint: it’s more than social media)
• The hidden cost of staying silent in your industry
• The difference between low-impact and high-impact engagement
• How to contribute in a way that builds trust, visibility, and real relationships
• Five practical ways to bring value without being an “expert”
• Why gratitude is participation—and how it strengthens your network

The Shift: From Consuming to Contributing

Most notaries (and entrepreneurs in general) are trained in skills—but not in how to show up in a room.

They know how to do the work.

But they don’t always know how to:

Articulate what they know
Ask better questions
Engage in meaningful conversations
Support others publicly
Build trust through presence

This episode reframes every online space you’re in as a training ground—not for content, but for leadership.

Whether it’s LinkedIn, a Facebook group, a Skool community, or a weekly Zoom call… these are all opportunities to practice becoming someone who brings value.

The 7-Day Contribution Challenge (Simplified)

Instead of overwhelming you with a checklist, Bill shares a simple approach you can apply immediately:

• Add real value to one conversation per day
• Share one lesson you learned the hard way
• Help one person publicly—with detail and intention

These small, intentional actions can shift how you’re seen, how you feel, and how you grow.

Want a place to practice this?

Join High Performance Notary, a free community of 2,000+ notaries who are building real businesses, supporting each other, and learning how to show up with confidence.

This isn’t a place to scroll and disappear.

It’s a place to practice.

Join here: https://www.skool.com/notary

Key Takeaway:

You don’t need a bigger audience.

You need to bring more value to the room you’re already in.

Your next level won’t be built in silence.

If this episode resonated with you, share it with another notary or entrepreneur who’s ready to step out of the shadows and into the conversation.

And if you’re ready… we’ll see you inside.

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If you’re starting a fingerprinting business—or thinking about adding fingerprinting services to your existing business—there’s one thing you need to understand right away:

Getting trained is only half the equation.

The real question is this:

How do you actually get clients?

In this episode of the Sign & Thrive Podcast, Bill Soroka breaks down the daily marketing habits that turn fingerprinting from “just another service you offer” into a repeat-driven business that generates consistent income.

Fingerprinting is one of the most overlooked service opportunities in the compliance and background check industry. Millions of professionals require fingerprinting every year for licensing, employment screening, and regulatory compliance.

Healthcare workers.
Teachers.
Security professionals.
Volunteers.
Financial industry employees.
Government contractors.

And many of these professionals must complete background checks again and again throughout their careers.

That means fingerprinting isn’t just a one-time service.

It’s a repeat-driven compliance business.

But here’s where most people get stuck.

They add fingerprinting to their services.
They put it on their website.
Maybe they update their Google Business Profile.

And then they wait.

The phone doesn’t ring.

Not because the demand isn’t there—but because they never build the visibility and relationships that drive fingerprinting appointments.

In this episode, Bill introduces the framework he calls:

The Seven Drivers of a Repeat Fingerprinting Business

These seven drivers represent the daily habits and marketing actions that successful fingerprinting entrepreneurs use to build relationships with organizations that regularly require background checks for their employees, contractors, and volunteers.

You’ll learn how to identify the right prospects, start conversations with decision makers, and position your fingerprinting business as a trusted resource for organizations that need reliable compliance services.

If you’re researching how to start a fingerprinting business, how mobile fingerprinting services attract clients, or how to build a repeat-driven service business, this episode will give you a practical roadmap.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why fingerprinting is one of the most repeat-driven service businesses available
• The types of organizations that regularly require fingerprinting services
• How to build a prospecting list of organizations that need fingerprinting
• The simple five-minute research strategy that helps your outreach stand out
• How to contact decision makers in HR, compliance, and credentialing departments
• The follow-up rhythm that keeps you top of mind when companies need fingerprinting
• How warm introductions can unlock long-term business relationships
• Where fingerprinting clients gather and how to position yourself in those rooms
• The daily online visibility habits that help clients find your fingerprinting business

Bill also explains why fingerprinting entrepreneurs who focus on daily execution and visibility eventually stop chasing appointments and start becoming embedded in the hiring and onboarding workflows of companies that need background checks.

That’s when fingerprinting stops being a side service and becomes a predictable, repeat-driven business.

Join the free High Performance Notary community, where thousands of entrepreneurs are working together to grow their businesses through consistent marketing and daily execution.

Visit:
https://www.skool.com/notary

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If you’re ambitious…

If you see opportunity everywhere…

If your brain lights up with new ideas, programs, certifications, and partnerships…

But at the end of the month you’re wondering why revenue didn’t move the way you expected…

This episode is for you.

Today we’re talking about something most notary entrepreneurs are never taught — opportunity cost.

Opportunity cost is the hidden trade-off behind every decision you make in your business. Every time you say yes to something, you are automatically saying no to something else.

The problem? Most people never stop to ask what that “something else” might be.

In this solo episode, Bill shares a candid look at one of his own entrepreneurial weaknesses: chasing shiny objects. As someone who leads with Enneagram Type 7, the enthusiast, Bill openly talks about his tendency toward FOMO — fear of missing out — and how constantly saying yes to new opportunities nearly sabotaged his ability to build anything meaningful.

You’ll hear how that realization changed the way he approaches growth, focus, and decision-making today.

In this conversation, you’ll learn:

• What “shiny object syndrome” really is and why entrepreneurs struggle with it
• How opportunity cost quietly drains momentum from your business
• Why being busy often feels productive but doesn’t actually move revenue
• The psychological and neurological reasons your brain chases novelty instead of execution
• A simple framework for evaluating whether a training, call, or opportunity is worth your time
• How to ask the powerful question: “What am I avoiding right now?”

Bill also shares the guardrails he uses today to keep ambition from turning into distraction — including reflection periods, quarterly focus, and daily execution habits that keep the business moving forward.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re working hard but progress is slower than it should be, this episode will help you step back, refocus, and make better decisions about where your time and energy actually go.

Because the difference between a drifting business and a thriving one is rarely talent.

It’s focus.

And every “yes” carries a hidden cost.

Listen in and ask yourself the question most entrepreneurs never stop to consider:

What is this decision costing me?

Resources Mentioned

High Performance Notary Community
Join for free and connect with a community focused on execution, visibility, and building real notary businesses:
https://www.skool.com/notary/about

About Bill Soroka

Bill Soroka is the founder of Notary Coach and the High Performance Notary community. He is an entrepreneur, trainer, and author dedicated to helping notaries build sustainable, profitable businesses through consistent action, strategic visibility, and relationship-based growth.

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Why would someone hire an apostille agent when they could “just send the paperwork themselves”?

That question sits at the heart of this episode.

In this conversation, I sit down with Judi Lawrence — widely known as the “Queen of Apostilles” — to unpack what clients are really paying for when they hire a professional apostille agent.

Most beginners think apostille services are about knowing where to send documents. But as you’ll hear in this episode, the real value goes far deeper than mailing paperwork to the Secretary of State.

We discuss:

• The emotional state of most apostille clients (confusion, urgency, deadline pressure)
• Why rejection avoidance is one of the most important professional skills
• What happens behind the scenes in a properly handled apostille job
• Why “just call the Secretary of State” is not a business model
• The difference between being a document runner and a professional facilitator
• How time and opportunity cost impact profitability
• Why pricing cannot be copied from Facebook groups
• What “the market bears” really means in your state
• Why developing strong notary skills is non-negotiable

If you’re searching for apostille training, wondering how to become an apostille agent, or struggling to price your apostille services confidently, this episode will give you clarity.

You’ll hear why:

Apostilles are not “toothpaste.”
Every job is different.
Time is your most valuable asset.
And professionalism is what commands higher fees.

We also talk about one of the biggest mistakes new apostille agents make — underestimating their indirect costs. Communication time. Research. Travel. Rejection prevention. Timeline management. These are the hidden components that separate profitable businesses from burned-out operators.

If you want to build a sustainable apostille business instead of guessing at fees or underpricing your services, this conversation will help you think like a professional.

Because clients aren’t paying for a stamp.

They’re paying for certainty.

They’re paying for someone who understands the process deeply enough to carry the weight for them.

If this episode resonates and you’re ready to go deeper into apostille workflow, Hague vs. non-Hague countries, rejection prevention, structured pricing, and building a real apostille revenue stream, explore the World of Apostilles training inside High Performance Notary.

Learn more at:
NotaryCoach.com/apostille
Skool.com/notary

If you found value in this episode, share it with another notary entrepreneur and leave a review — it helps us reach more professionals who want to elevate the standard of this industry.

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If you’re a notary wondering whether there’s a real future beyond loan signings, this episode will challenge how you think about your role, your business model, and the kind of work you want to be doing long-term.

Bill Soroka sits down with Dean Eason-Williams, a North Carolina Notary Public, estate signing specialist, educator, and founder of NotaryCLT Services—the first signing company built exclusively around estate signing ceremonies.

Dean’s story mirrors the experience of many notaries. He entered the industry focused on loan signings, skeptical of new opportunities, and unsure whether estate planning work was even a real niche. Through personal loss, hands-on experience at the signing table, and years of working directly with families and attorneys, he made a decisive pivot into estate planning and trust delivery—and never looked back.

We talk about why estate signings feel fundamentally different from transactional work, and why presence, empathy, and professionalism matter just as much as technical accuracy. Dean explains what notaries often underestimate about the emotional weight of estate planning appointments, and why he intentionally uses the phrase estate signing ceremony to describe the work.

You’ll also hear practical insights on:

• How notaries can stay compliant and confident without crossing into unauthorized practice of law
• The importance of understanding estate documents well enough to ethically redirect signer questions
• Why attorneys value notaries who can reduce friction instead of creating more work
• What led Dean to walk away from loan signings and build an estate-only signing company
• How quality assurance is becoming the defining factor for the next evolution of signing companies
• Why specialization creates stability, higher-value appointments, and stronger professional relationships

Dean also shares the motivation behind his book, From Trust to Transfer, a practical, plain-language guide written specifically for notaries who want to conduct estate planning signing ceremonies with clarity, confidence, and care. The book focuses on real-world scenarios, document familiarity, ethical redirection language, and helping notaries overcome fear when stepping into this work.

If you’re feeling burned out by low-pay signing services, race-to-the-bottom pricing, constant reprints, or work that feels purely transactional, this episode introduces a different model—one built on trust, service, and sustainable business growth.

We also close with a bigger conversation about legacy: what it means to raise the bar in the notary profession, why doing the work well matters decades later, and how notaries can become part of the solution instead of another point of failure for families.

This episode is especially relevant if you are:

• a new notary exploring alternatives to loan signings
• an experienced notary ready to pivot or specialize
• interested in estate planning, trust delivery, or working with attorneys
• curious about building a signing business around quality and professionalism

Before you move on to the next episode, remember this:

Insight alone doesn’t change a notary business.
Execution does.

Join my free Skool community here

Contact Dean Here:

NotaryCLT Services

https://www.notaryclt.com

Apex Mentorship (Skool)

https://www.skool.com/notarycltapex

From Trust to Transfer on Amazon

https://a.co/d/06R9DjRq

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Fingerprinting is one of those businesses most people think they understand—until they actually look under the hood.

In this episode, Bill Soroka sits down with Brandon Edwards of Secure Biometrics for a candid, no-fluff conversation about what it really takes to build a fingerprinting business that lasts. Not a side hustle fantasy. Not a quick cash grab. A real, compliant, professional service business that grows alongside increasing demand for identity verification, background checks, and security.

What makes this conversation different is that it doesn’t start with tactics. It starts with truth.

Too many people assume fingerprinting is limited by state contracts, that Live Scan is the only path, or that if their state “has a provider,” there’s no room for them. Others believe the business is overregulated, impossible to break into, or only viable in a handful of locations. Some think demand is slowing, when in reality the opposite is happening as compliance requirements tighten across industries.

This episode dismantles those assumptions—not by hype, but by experience.

You’ll hear why federal background checks open the door nationwide, why ink fingerprinting is still very much alive and profitable, and how fingerprinting services quietly support everything from employment and licensing to immigration, healthcare, education, and professional credentials. This is not a shrinking market. It’s an expanding one—because trust, compliance, and identity security are becoming more important, not less.

Just as important, this conversation addresses the internal shifts required to succeed.

Entrepreneurship in fingerprinting (or any compliance-based business) demands a different mindset than gig work. You have to stop thinking like a technician waiting for assignments and start thinking like a service provider building relationships. You have to embrace structure instead of resisting it, understand regulations instead of fearing them, and play the long game instead of chasing quick wins.

Brandon shares what it took to build his business in a state where people told him it couldn’t be done, how consistency beat shortcuts, and why professionalism is the true differentiator in a low-barrier industry. Bill adds the bigger picture—how notaries and service professionals who lean into compliance and credibility don’t just survive market shifts, they benefit from them.

By the end of this episode, listeners will understand why fingerprinting can be launched and operated in all 50 states, how demand is driven by forces much bigger than local contracts, and why this business rewards those who commit to doing it right.

If you’ve been looking for a specialty that aligns with trust, stability, and long-term opportunity—or if you’ve been sitting on the sidelines because of outdated assumptions—this conversation will change how you see fingerprinting.

To learn more about the complete Fingerprinting Business Launch Bundle and see exactly how Brandon teaches this step by step, visit:

www.SecureBiometrics.co/notarycoach

This isn’t about chasing trends. It’s about positioning yourself where the world is already headed.

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If you’ve ever received a call to notarize documents in a hospital, hospice, nursing home, rehab center, or skilled nursing facility and felt that instant pressure, this episode is for you.

Because hospital notary work isn’t “just another appointment.”

It’s some of the most meaningful, high-impact work a notary can do. It can also be one of the highest risk environments in the entire profession, because you’re often dealing with vulnerable signers, emotional family dynamics, time pressure, and documents that are commonly contested after the fact.

In this episode of the Sign & Thrive Podcast, I’m joined by my longtime friend and colleague, Laura Biewer of CoachMeLaura.com. We call her the GOAT for a reason. Laura is a notary expert with over 22 years of experience, and she’s relentlessly committed to raising the level of competence and confidence in the notary industry.

Laura also just released her first standalone book, The Compassionate Notary, a field guide for notaries who operate inside medical facilities.

In this conversation, we break down what it really takes to show up professionally in high-stakes environments where you may only get one chance to do the job correctly.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• Why hospital notary work feels intimidating (and why that fear is valid)
• The most common documents notaries encounter in medical facilities, including powers of attorney and healthcare directives
• How to protect yourself with proper intake, screening, and documentation
• Why competence and “staying in your lane” matters more than ever in a hospital setting
• How to slow down, plan for interruptions, and avoid rushing the signer
• What medical facilities and staff actually value in a professional notary
• How to become the go-to notary in your community for bedside and facility appointments
• Simple, real-world marketing strategies to get consistent medical facility work through relationships and online visibility

One of the biggest takeaways from this episode is simple:

Medical facility notary work isn’t intimidating because you’re not good enough.
It’s intimidating because it matters.

If you’re a notary who cares about people, wants to do meaningful work, and also wants to operate with confidence, structure, and professionalism, you’re going to love this episode.

Learn more about Laura and her book:
CoachMeLaura.com

Join Bill’s free High Performance Notary community:
https://www.skool.com/notary