I don't disagree with the assessment above, but I believe there's a third option, however painful it might be. A self-employed person is also a business owner, which implies (and sometimes requires for success) a higher level of thinking, specifically when it comes to identifying options - and that can be the most difficult part of being in business for oneself.
I see these options for notaries facing fee reductions or a decrease in volume:
1. Take what we can get and do the best we can; blame the situation on factors beyond our control;
2. Develop a plan for, and energetically apply, new ways to promote and market our business so we can get the fees we need to be profitable;
3. Decide that this is no longer a viable business option and spend time and effort searching for, or working on, something else.
4. Potentially, a combination of the above options during a transition period.
I can't recommend any one of those options because the right answer will be different for any given individual, depending on their geography, circumstances, energy level, work ethic, attitude, experience, etc. That means that the threshold for #3 will also be different for everyone. For some, choosing the 3rd option could be a result of determining that their profit level isn't enough to sustain an acceptable lifestyle and they don't foresee that changing soon. For others, it could mean that they're actually losing money, and continuing in this business just means going deeper into the hole, perhaps at an increasingly fast rate.
In either case, it makes sense to me that we should know whether or not our own business is viable, know where the line is between viable and not, and make decisions accordingly. THIS APPLIES EQUALLY TO EVERY INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT. And that, of course, requires a thorough understanding of all of our costs of doing business.
Individuals, and other entities (like signing services...), sometimes end up going into bankruptcy (or exiting their business leaving many unpaid) because they don't know when to say "Enough!" and cut their losses.
<<<<< Where is YOUR line between profitable and not worth it, for assignments, as well as staying in this field? Do you know?>>>>> [Rhetorical question for all, of course, again referring back to the message by Marian referenced in the first post in this thread.  ]
While there currently are challenges in our field, at least we're at a point where the economy is fairly good and unemployment is fairly low. So now is a good time for anyone whose business isn't what they'd like it to be to do a serious evaluation, (i.e. where you are and what you're willing to do) while there still are other options to be had. Many of us remember what it was like after the 'mortgage meltdown', when notary income was down and jobs were scarce. It was pretty sad...
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