We Are Running Out of Road

Six years ago, when I started my business as a Notary Signing Agent, I could buy a case of letter paper for about **$26**.

Today, I received yet another notice that my paper supplier is raising prices again.

It's one increase after another.

Paper.

Toner.

Printer maintenance.

Envelopes.

Plastic document sleeves.

Tape.

Gas.

Insurance.

Vehicle maintenance.

Tires.

Oil changes.

Registration.

Business insurance.

Equipment.

Scanners.

Internet.

Phones.

Even something as simple as pens.

A few weeks ago I had to find a new supplier because the pens I prefer had become too expensive. I searched and searched, hoping to find something of similar quality at the old price. I couldn't. My pen costs have essentially doubled.

That may sound insignificant until you realize that we use thousands of pens every year, and because I choose quality pens, borrowers frequently ask if they can keep them. I find myself hesitating—not because I don't want to be generous, but because every small expense keeps climbing while the fees we're offered remain stuck in the past.

I package every loan carefully because I want those documents to arrive looking professional. I use paper envelopes inside plastic envelopes and even reinforce them with tape so they don't arrive wrinkled or damaged.

Every one of those supplies costs more today than it did a year ago.

Meanwhile, our compensation has barely moved.

For the past year I've tried to increase my fees by five or ten dollars whenever possible. Sometimes it works. Often it doesn't.

Instead, I continue to hear the same responses:

*"It doesn't really cost 76 cents a mile to drive."*

*"You should just be grateful for the best job ever."*

*"I'm willing to work cheap for the experience."*

But this isn't about opinions.

It's about math.

Recently I sat down and calculated the true cost of operating my vehicle over the life of the car. I included everything:

* The purchase price

* Monthly payments

* Interest

* Insurance

* Fuel

* Tires

* Oil changes

* Repairs

* Maintenance

* Registration

* Depreciation

Over five or six years, the total cost exceeded **$100,000**.

That doesn't include my printer.

It doesn't include paper.

It doesn't include toner.

It doesn't include internet service, office supplies, licensing, continuing education, taxes, or the thousands of hours spent printing, scheduling, driving, scanning, dropping packages, bookkeeping, and handling cancellations.

Those costs are real whether anyone wants to acknowledge them or not.

The unfortunate reality is that many signing companies and title companies have held the line on notary fees for years while nearly every expense associated with running this business has increased dramatically.

No business can absorb rising costs forever without eventually raising prices.

That's simply how economics works.

I wrote my book because I genuinely care about this profession. I wanted newer notaries to understand the business side of being a signing agent—not just how to notarize documents, but how to build a business that can still exist five or ten years from now.

Three months later, I've sold only twenty-two copies.

Sometimes I wonder whether enough people are paying attention.

Because this industry is approaching a brick wall.

Many experienced notaries are already declining lower-paying assignments because they simply cannot make the numbers work anymore. Others quietly leave the industry every year. If operating costs continue to climb while fees remain frozen, we'll eventually reach a point where experienced professionals can no longer justify staying.

When that happens, borrowers, title companies, lenders, and signing services will all feel the impact.

This isn't a threat.

It's economics.

Businesses that consistently lose money don't survive.

I've completed nearly 5,000 loan signings. I've driven hundreds of thousands of miles. I've invested heavily in equipment, education, and providing borrowers with a professional experience.

I love what I do.

I want this industry to thrive.

But thriving requires businesses that are financially sustainable.

Eventually, every industry reaches the point where prices have to catch up with reality.

I believe ours is getting very close.