Some mornings, Angelina Nguyen earns $150 in five minutes.
The 25-year-old is still in awe of her small notary business’s accomplishments. Seven years ago, a few weeks after turning 18, Nguyen thought that being a notary signing agent would be a quick side job to augment her income as a bank teller.
Notaries, sometimes known as notaries public, are people who authorise and witness the signing of important documents including real estate contracts and passport applications. Most notaries public are only permitted to charge what their state permits; however, because they specialise in loan documents and property records, notary signing agents are permitted to charge extra.
Nguyen believed that most of her time as a notary would be spent checking signatures and explaining paperwork to customers, but she soon learned that there was more to the job than she had anticipated. She was helping people through some of the best and saddest moments of their life.
There are many emotions, both happy and sad, Nguyen continues. “I’ve seen individuals sign contracts for a house they weren’t ready to leave and the deed to their first home. “I realised I wanted to be the one who gave people the sense of being seen, heard, cared for, and understood in those pivotal moments.”
Nguyen decided to pursue notarial work as a full-time career and founded her business, Team Signings, in her hometown of San Jose, California, two years ago. That decision turned out to be wise: According to tax documents reviewed by CNBC Make It, Nguyen’s business made close to $150,000 in 2022.
You don’t need to go to college to achieve.
Nguyen’s father, Chau, consistently told her: “College isn’t necessary to be successful,” as her peers worried about their grades and if they had the right extracurricular activities on their resumes throughout high school.
Nguyen claims that her father, who had a successful real estate career despite not having a bachelor’s degree, “always taught me that I didn’t need a degree to succeed.” I paid attention to him, which is fortunate because I might not have been able to avoid taking out student loans because I wasn’t sure of my intended major. My time and tension were greatly decreased.
Her father gave her the notion to become a notary signing agent and also mentioned that the notaries he hired to sign real estate documents were in incredibly high demand and earned $75 to $200 per signing.
Most states just require a background check and an application to become a notary public, but in California you must additionally complete a six-hour training programme, pass an exam and pass a background check. The initial fees for becoming a notary public in California can range from $275 to $442, according to Notary.net.
In 2015, Nguyen finished the process in about three months, and in 2021, she would need to complete one more month of training and homework to become a specialised signing agent.
Nguyen completed her certifications in 2015, but she wasn’t sure if she wanted to become a notary signing agent full-time. She tried out several professions for the next five years after quitting her job as a bank teller in 2016, including brief stints as an insurance agent and real estate agent. She enjoyed notarizing more than anything else, though.
According to Nguyen, an hour of work leaves you finished and free. “The hours are flexible, and I feel like I’m really making a difference in people’s lives.”
I don’t work more than six hours a day.
Nguyen formally incorporated Team Signings as a corporation in November 2021. She then started building her clientele by visiting real estate agencies with a stack of business cards, making signing agent videos on TikTok and Instagram, and asking friends to spread the word about her new business.
Nguyen claims that employing TikTok, which has about 30,000 followers, has been her most successful marketing technique. Followers in the San Jose region have messaged her to request her services, and she has also received referrals from other notaries in the comments.
She aims to complete two signings per day and charges anywhere from $75 to $200, and perhaps even more depending on the type of document that needs to be notarized and how far the appointment is from her home office in San Jose.
A signing may last an hour, while some only last a few minutes. According to Nguyen, she normally puts in “less than six hours per day.”
She says, “I work from nine to three, although I regularly have signing appointments on the weekends. Nguyen employed a full-time assistant in March to assist with scheduling and billing.
She only wishes she had started her notary business sooner. In Nguyen’s words, “I love that I can set my own schedule, support myself financially, and help my parents if they ever need it.” The speaker added, “Having the opportunity to help people every day
