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Yesterday was Notary Public Day and today is Election Day. I'm not going to get into a political discussion here about how I feel, but I do want to encourage you to VOTE! Our democracy depends on it, so please don't take that right for granted. Do your civic duty today!

My friend Bill Soroka’s new book officially launched September 28 and is available on Amazon in both Kindle and print editions. "The Notary Business Building Challenge: 90 Days to More Clients, More Income, and More Confidence" will help answer the question: "What can I do TODAY to move the needle on my business goals?" With over 90 Days of activities that push the envelope and stretch your comfort zone, with this book you have not just a quarterly action plan, but a blueprint to success that can be used all year long. Order on Amazon today at www.NotaryCoach.com/books

Today is our day! I hope you take a moment to pat yourself on the back for all of your accomplishments as a Notary today. As small business owners we spend a ridiculous amount of time worrying about so many different things, and we forget to be proud of ourselves for our wins. Stop for a moment and give yourself credit being a bad-ass business owner who works hard and provides for their family! I'm proud of you!

Surely you've heard about Small Business Saturday (SBS), created and sponsored by American Express? First celebrated in 2010, this national holiday calls attention to the importance of small businesses in our economy. This year it takes place on Saturday, November 26th all across the country to encourage people to shop small businesses. Hey....you're a small business! How can you get in on the fun? As luck would have it, I have a few ideas! Cami Corvin, of Corvin's Legal Services in Capitola, CA and I just wrapped up a 3-part training inside Notary Business Builder about small town marketing secrets. If you're an NBB member and missed the training, I encourage you to watch it in the replay archives for some awesome, out-of-the-box marketing ideas. At the end of the presentation we issued a challenge and I'd love for you to join in on the fun! It's pretty simple. Participate in Small Business Saturday, take a photo of yourself doing it and post it on social media with #SmallBusinessSaturday2022 (and #SmallBusinessSaturday2022NBB if you're a Notary Business Builder). Here are some ways to participate: Buying gratitude gifts for your biggest clients? Why not shop at the local gift shops instead of the big box stores? Ask the owner of the store to take a selfie with you and be sure to tag them and their store in your post, too! Volunteer at your local Chamber of Commerce to help them as they support SBS. If you're a member of your chamber, this is an easy way to get to know more people in the organization. Take pictures and post to your social media accounts tagging your chamber and other members who are volunteering! After all that shopping and volunteering you'll need to rest and rejuvenate. There's no better place than a local diner to do just that. Gather up your friends and family and enjoy a break from the Thanksgiving leftovers by eating out. Tell the restaurant owner what you're doing and ask them to take a selfie with you so you can post about it and encourage others to eat there, too! Maybe you just need a break from all the family that came into town for Thanksgiving? Gather up a few friends (bonus points if they're small business owners, too) and hit the locally owned pub for a toast to the holiday season. Be sure to tag the pub and #SmallBusinessSaturday2022! Need some gifts for the women in your life (or business) and not sure what to get them? A gift certificate to your local nail salon is a great gift idea! Take a selfie with the owner, post on social media and encourage others to visit that nail salon, too! However you contribute to SBS, be sure you're using the #SmallBusinessSaturday2022 when posting on social media. Let's promote small business across the country! If you have ideas on how to celebrate Small Business Saturday, I'd love to hear about them. Drop me an email SAM@SigningAgentMarketing.com.

Believe it or not, there is a special day dedicated to "love your lawyer," and it's this Friday, November 4th. What better excuse to reach out to attorneys in your town? If there are attorney offices you've not worked with yet, I encourage you to spend a part of Friday getting out there and letting them know you're a mobile Notary Public. Pop-In to introduce yourself! Attorneys are looking for professional representation of their office, so be sure you're dressed like a professional (yes, even on "casual Friday") and don't forget to bring your winning smile and warm heart. I know you'll feel nervous, and that is perfectly OK. No one walking into an office to meet new people wouldn't feel some level of nervousness. I want you to remind yourself that you belong there! You deserve an opportunity to meet new clients, and you're a valuable part of the team of people that support the attorney business. They need you, whether they know it at the time you Pop-In or not. And if you're already working with attorney's in your town, Friday is an opportunity to write a letter of gratitude expressing your appreciate for the business they've given you. Be sure you focus on gratitude alone - not selling your services. Handwritten "thank you's" might seem old-fashioned, but they are the best way to authentically express your appreciation.

Today is "Go The Extra Mile Day" so as you're planning your marketing for November (and likely December) be sure to plan to be EXTRA! As you know, Signing Agent Marketing recommends a minimum of 3 marketing periods per month, plus a networking activity. As we move into the holiday season I encourage you to consider adding extra time for each very important activity! Lots of offices will be hosting celebrations and you should be a part of those! How do you find them? It's simple! Be sure you're connecting with your attorney, title/escrow, etc. offices on Facebook, LinkedIn and any other social media platforms they use. Pay attention to what they're promoting. Look on the Events page of your Facebook account, too. If an office is hosting a holiday open house, then plan to attend so you can meet everyone in that office. Every chance you get to mix and mingle with potential clients is important because it gives them the opportunity to see how wonderful you are and that you care about growing your business. Adding additional Pop-In days can be more festive if you choose to dress the part. What do I mean by that? Wear that silly reindeer antler hat or Santa hat while you're visiting offices. If you have an outrageous holiday sweater, wear it while you're Popping In! My favorite thing to wear during my holiday marketing is a big Christmas lights necklace. It naturally gets the attention of anyone who sees it and everyone comments on it (usually before I even announce while I'm in the office). While you're out doing extra Pop-In visits, ask the receptionist if the office has holiday plans. If they're having an employees-only celebration, offer to contribute something to it. That can be something as simple as dropping off a gallon of iced tea or a pan of your famous homemade stuffing. Going the extra mile and sponsoring a lunch you're not even attending is impressive and will leave a good impression. Let me know what you decide to do about Holiday Pop-Ins! You never know....they might get featured in this blog (hint, hint)!!

Now that my kids are grown, Halloween isn't as exciting a holiday as it used to be when they were little. I loved helping them get all dressed up and you could feel the excitement in the air in anticipation of all that yummy candy! One of my favorite costumes the kids did was dressing up as the band KISS. It was hysterical watching them go up to our neighbors doors singing, "I wanna rock and roll all night," instead of the usual, "trick or treat!" Ahhhh, the good old days! Since the one child we still have at home is too cool to trick or treat (insert eye roll here), this Halloween my husband and I will sit on our front lawn in soccer chairs with an ice chest and pass out beers to the exhausted looking parents trying to keep up with their kiddos. We also pass our candy, but I think our house is more well known as the grown up stop at this point! On Tuesday's TNT call (if you're not registered for this free, weekly call you should be: https://www.notarycoach.com/tnt), Amy Seitz, owner of CyberizeIt gave an awesome tip for notaries who pass out candy on Halloween, and I wanted to share it with you today so you had time to put it into action for Monday's festivities. On the back of the candy you're passing out, put a sticker with your company logo and contact info! I'm going to do this with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. On each individual package, I'll place a sticker that says, "Jen Neitzel, your favorite Coppell mobile Notary Public" with my phone number. I've already got Avery labels at home, so I'll just customize those to put on the back of the candy. I'm so excited to try this idea so everyone in my neighborhood knows there is a notary on the street for when they need one (and they will at some point)! Let me know if you like Amy's idea and how it went over in your neighborhood!

It's very hard to believe that Christmas is right around the corner. I ran into Target the other day and it was already decorated in all things green and red, which seems to happen earlier and earlier every year. I felt the need to start getting my gift list in order for family, friends and customers! In business, there is no better time to show your gratitude toward your established clients than during the holiday season. In my head, that runs from Thanksgiving until New Years Day. Extending the timeline through the actual season helps alleviate the pressure of doing everything for everyone at every holiday over the course of 5 weeks (from Turkey Day to New Years Day). This year, it's going to be especially difficult for many of us to have a hefty gratitude budget for the holidays. It's no secret, we've been experiencing a transition year in the notary world and it's been felt by all, but that doesn't mean we can't express our thanks to the people who have kept us going over the last 365 days. So, how do you say THANK YOU while staying on budget? I thought I'd make a list of ideas for you can choose from to make this holiday season bright on a tight budget. These are all things I've done in the past that were well received. The first thing you need to do is rank your client list. I do this by how many signings each has provided me over the last year. Then, I match my available gift funds to each office by choosing how I want to express my thanks. What that means is, I don't do the exact same thing for each office. That may seem like more work, but it helps me keep my budget in check and allows the opportunity to give more gratitude to offices that have fed me more business throughout the year. Make a breakfast buffet for a top office. I will make a large batch of scrambled eggs, mixed fruit, biscuits and sausage gravy (each in their own aluminum pan) and deliver it to my #1 office at an agreed upon day to serve breakfast to the office .on holiday themed plates. I'll bring along some salsa, chopped chives and cheese on the side for them to top their eggs. My clients love this personal touch, but if you're uncomfortable cooking I recommend buying a hearty breakfast or lunch to express your appreciation. Purchase wine in bulk at Costco or Sam's. Replace the store label with a personalized one purchased online. It's an easy process of just soaking the bottle in tepid soapy water for a bit then pulling the label off. I create fun things to say on my personal labels to them like, "In case I'm the reason you drink," or "Cheers to making the naughty list." You can purchase customized labels on Amazon or Etsy (or just google, "custom wine labels"). I will give these out to my next top 12 clients (there are 12 bottles in a case of wine). Here are more ideas.... Homemade salsa in 4 oz mason jars (did you know your InstanPot will allow you to can items?) and small bag of tortilla chips ordered from Amazon. Just pop these into a cute bag and you've got a really affordable, homemade gift! I use The Pioneer Woman's chipotle salsa recipe and it is always a hit! Here's the link to the recipe: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/chipotle-salsa-2632852. Consult the owners manual of your InstaPot for canning directions. Holiday themed wine or cocktail glasses at The Dollar Tree (get them in November as they'll be gone by early December) stuffed with individually wrapped candies like Hershey kisses in holiday colors. Small, live pine trees (6") purchased at my local nursery. Add a red bow for holiday flair and perhaps a small, custom ornament (The Dollar Tree has great ornaments). Mason Jar gifts (just search Pinterest or Google for ideas, but a favorite of my clients is my homemade sugar scrub). You can find the receipt here: https://www.eatingbyelaine.com/easy-homemade-sugar-scrub/ I add essential oils to mine so it smells divine. Mint, Lime and Lavender are favorites of past recipients. You can sponsor a side dish for an office's Thanksgiving or Christmas feast. Just ask your favorite offices when they plan to celebrate together and ask if you can donate your special holiday dish. You're not inviting yourself to the party, just offering to bring a side dish or dessert. If you love making Christmas cookies, this is a great way to offer them to clients. I did this one year for a couple of offices and they were so appreciative. I left recipe cards with my special macaroni and cheese recipe for anyone who wanted to take them and make it for their family (with my business card attached, of course)! Does your family have a special holiday treat they make every year? Buckeye Balls are a favorite of mine (https://dinnerthendessert.com/buckeye-balls/) and always go over well. I love packaging up the finished candy in a fun holiday tin for delivery. Whatever you decide to do this holiday season, be sure to show your heartfelt gratitude with a handwritten note or card when you deliver your gifts so your clients know how much you appreciate them and their continued business. And if you choose one of these ideas for your holiday marketing plan, drop me an email and let me know how it went: SAM@SigningAgentMarketing.com.

Today is my bonus daughter's 20th birthday. She's no longer a teenager and is flourishing in school and life at the University of Arkansas. I've known her for half of her life, and it's been a privilege to watch her grow into an intelligent, beautiful young woman who knows how to take a bite out of life. Today, I am reflecting on how unbelievably fortunate I am that my family is in such a good place. It's not easy to combine families, which is what my husband and I officially did in 2016 when we got married. Together since 2013, our road to creating this family was free from the horror stories I've heard from other couples who are in their second marriage. That, in and of itself is something to be grateful for, but how our kids embraced our new family was really something incredible. We do not refer to each other as "step" anything. We're a BONUS family. The word "step" has so many negative connotations and I did not want the (wicked) step-mother moniker hanging over my head. Also, it wasn't a reflection of how we felt about each other. We all truly feel that it's a BONUS to have each other in our lives. There's more love and more friendship among the four kids because of that and I never feel the need to explain my family's situation. When people ask me how many kids I have, my answer is always four because I love my bonus children as my own, and they know that. I am so privileged to be the bonus mom to my now 20-year-old bonus daughter! She's taught me so much, including how to be a better parent. As she was growing up, I could be her friend because she already had a mom and a dad, and it wasn't my place to play that role for her since both of her parents are incredible at parenting. What she needed was someone she could talk to without fear of judgement or punishment. It taught me a lot about being a better confidant to all my kids and how to lead with patience and kindness. I'm far from the perfect mom, but I am better because my of my bonus daughter. I hope your day is amazing, kid! Today and every day, I am beyond grateful for having you in my life. I love you!

Today is National Apple Day. Apples are just one of the things I love about fall. The snap of a Granny Smith as you bite into its green flesh, immediately followed by the pucker of it's tartness. And then there are caramel covered apples dipped in chopped nuts. Or homemade applesauce with cinnamon or a fresh apple pie or....wait. What was I going to write about again before I got lost in thoughts of yummy apples? Oh yes, a FREE MARKETING TIP on this beautiful fall FRIDAY! Everyone is marketing with Halloween items right now, and that's great, but why swim in the sea of sameness? Don't you want your marketing efforts to stand out? What if you incorporated APPLES into your marketing plan for the day? Here are a few ideas for a quick Pop-In visit. I challenge you to visit 3 new places today. Go ahead and commit to it. Right now. You can do it!!!! And don't forget to leave your business cards, and ask for theirs so you can follow up after your 3 Pop-In visits. Pick up an apple pie at your local bakery and drop it off at your town's administrative offices for the office staff to share. Buy some caramel covered apples (or make some) and drop them off at an attorney's office you've haven't worked with yet. Purchase a few bags of apples and drop them at your local food pantry, compliments of your business. Bring a bag of apples to your local school administration building for the staff to share. Bonus points if you pre-wash them so they can enjoy them immediately. Drop some cinnamon apple muffins off at your local funeral home. Yes, they need notaries and Apostilles regularly. Let me know how your apple themed Pop-In visits turn out for you!