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All In The ‘Notary’ Family: Working For Each Other

Amanda Doumanian Reeves explains the value of forming your own Notary family.

From left to right: Husband Ryan Reeves, Amanda Doumanian Reeves, brother George Doumanian Jr., mom Charmaine Doumanian and dad George Doumanian Sr. in Cozumel, Mexico.

I jokingly say that I’m a little nutty because I work with a team of mobile Notaries who also happen to be my immediate family. My mom started our Notary business, A Notary On The Go, in 2001. Because of industry demand and our need to make extra cash in college, my brother and I became Notaries in 2008. Several years later, Dad followed.

I’m based in Tallahassee, Florida, and the rest of my Notary family lives and works in Clearwater. Since working as a mobile Notary occasionally has its ups and downs, it’s reassuring to have my family’s support and camaraderie 365 days a year. I often call my mom to vent about a rough day, ask her signing questions and brainstorm ideas for new Notary business.  

The Upside Of A Notary Family
 

After all this time, we all still like working together to maintain our website, Facebook page, a blog and advertising campaigns. Here are several reasons for nurturing your own Notary family, whether you are biologically related or not:  

  • Helping each other stay in the loop about industry standards and law updates
  • Informing each other about new and effective signing companies we all want to work with
  • Keeping a shared Google spread sheet with a list of “inferior companies” we don’t want to work with anymore
  • Sharing emails and data when there’s a good sale on paper, making business cards for one another, and even trading tricks on stopping printer jams
  • Sometimes prisons need a local Notary on-site for inmates, and we prefer sending either my brother or my dad for those

A few years ago, my brother was in a car accident on his way to a closing, and while he was not injured, his car was totaled and he couldn’t drive. He called my mom, and she went to the closing so he could stay and deal with the accident forms. Of course the closing was completed as scheduled.

Forming Your Own Notary Family 
 

Our jobs are competitive and the main disadvantage of working together is that we are sometimes each other’s top competition. Because signing companies have to choose which one of us to use, we compete for the top spots on Notary listing sites and sometimes we fight about who gets the most work.

At the end of the day, though, we do our best to share the wealth. Plus, working with my family is fun: We make silly Notary videos, laugh over crazy stories and inherently understand when one of us gets a call during dinner and we have to rush out.

Working alongside my family has also taught me to look out for other Notaries. Mobile Notary work can be difficult, and I’ve found that it’s best to have allies in the field who you trust — whether it’s my family or another local Notary.

We do have Notary friends in Florida that we count on and it’s great to help each other. If you don’t have your family or friends working with you, check out the National Notary Association Facebook Page and similar groups. There are forums and group pages where you can ask questions, vent and get connected.

Amanda Doumanian Reeves has worked as a mobile Notary in Tallahassee, Florida, for five years and helps run a thriving business, A Notary on the Go, with her family.

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3 Comments

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Richard Nichols

16 Mar 2015

My situation may not be unique, but because I am physically challenged somewhat, my wife, also a notary, goes with me on all closings, Many times she serves as the "common" witness because experience has shown many people don't neighbors, etc. to know their business. If I am ill or for some other reason am unable to complete the closing, she takes over. She done this. Since I reside in a "lawyer" state, I stay at the table and supervise the closing. She signs the documents as a notary and I will sign as the witness. We are truly a family business.

The UPS Store

16 Mar 2015

I have a customer who says that she is a notary and as a "personal courtesy", I should offer her my services for free. Is this commonplace? I do not need her services and fee that she is just looking for a free notary.

National Notary Association

16 Mar 2015

Hello, Notaries may choose what they charge for their services up to the maximum permitted by state law. The Notary Public Code of Professional Responsibility recommends that Notaries treat all members of the public evenhandedly when charging fees. You are not required to waive a fee simply because the signer is a fellow Notary.

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