Posted by drewstealth on 10/13/04 6:26pm
Msg #9789

Good time to get into this business???

I am currently a notary and have been for about 1 1/2 years. I have done over 3000 notaries at my job and many of those have been loan docs and loan document packets. I'm gonna be getting laid off at my current job because of New ownership and i was thinking about doing signing full time for a while. But at the same time i might be able to start off as a driver for UPS in January. If i get offered that job i'm not sure if i should take it or if i should do the signings. The main reason for wanting to be a signing agent is because i have been working 6 days a week 10hrs a day for 3 years now and i want a vacation. Doing signings i'll have my own schedule and i will be able to have my vacation i deserve. But i don't want to pass up a good job working for UPS to be a signing agent if i'm not gonna be able to make enough money doing it. What do you guys think i should do? I live in California if that makes any difference.

Reply by HisHughness on 10/13/04 6:45pm
Msg #9793

Go on vacation till January, then take the UPS job.

Reply by andrew on 10/13/04 7:10pm
Msg #9794

Thats the problem i wish i could but i'm in an agreement with the company i work for to stay until it sells. They are in the middle of selling it now but by the time its all over it will be another 2 months and it will be January. So i won't be able to have my vacation. But i'm not guaranteed the job at UPS. Because your not supposed to be able to get somebody in starting as a driver. But i may be able to.

Reply by CaliNotary on 10/14/04 2:24am
Msg #9810

If you don't have the confidence that you can earn a full time income from doing loan signings (and the fact that you're posting this question tells me that you don't) you should take the UPS job. This field is getting more and more crowded and who knows how stable the real estate market is going to remain.

Your current company will survive if you leave 2 weeks earlier (assuming that there's nothing legally binding you to stay to a certain date). It would be foolish to make a career decision based on a couple of weeks vacation.

Reply by drewstealth on 10/14/04 11:25am
Msg #9816

Well i'm only 21years old. The income i'm currently used to is only around 25k a year before taxes. I work a lot of hours to get that also. So if i make around the same amount working less then i will be happy. I can leave the company early but it is only run by 2 people Me and my co-worker. I open and close the store everyday(except sunday). So if i leave there will be nobody to run the store.

Reply by CaliNotary on 10/14/04 12:31pm
Msg #9821

You're working 6 days a week, 10 hours per day, and you're only making 25K per year?

Drew, your employer is exploting the hell out of you. He/She obviously doesn't give a crap about you, those are almost slave wages. Plus, they're selling the business and putting you out of a job, do you really think they're losing sleep over that? You owe them nothing and it's not your problem if they have nobody to run the store. The owner can run the store if necessary.

If I were you, I'd put in 2 weeks notice TODAY. Give the loan signing thing a try through January, by then you should have a better idea if it's going to work for you or if you should take the job with UPS if it becomes available. You need to be concerned about YOUR future only, not the future of the store you're working for. While your intentions are certianly noble, they're also extremely foolish.

If you were to get hit by a bus today would the store manage to survive without you? Of course they would, and they'll survive if you quit.

And it's worth saying a second time: They don't care about you and are taking advantage of you to a horrific degree. Stop allowing them to do that!

Reply by drewstealth on 10/14/04 4:21pm
Msg #9837

Well its sort of a weird situation with the company i'm with. The owner of the store i have known since i was born. They do pay for my lunch everyday. So thats about another 1500 a year. I still know i could be making more money working somewhere else and probably working less. But i said i would stay under the condition that i was promissed a $3000.00 bonus if i stayed till it selled as long as i kept the store running good and tried my best with it. So that is why i am staying.

Reply by CaliNotary on 10/14/04 11:52pm
Msg #9864

That you work for somebody who has known you since you were born just makes it sound worse to me. I did the math, 60 hours per week at California minimum wage with appropriate overtime is just under 25K per year, so I'm guessing you're making minimum wage or just slightly above it. That you could work for this person for 3 years, 10 hours per day, 6 days a week, and STILL only be getting minimum wage really disgusts me. And sorry, but paying for your lunch every day doesn't make up for what they're doing to you. A paid vacation would be a nice gesture but I'd be willing to wager you've never gotten one of those.

As for the $3000 bonus if you stick it out through the end, all I can say to that is that I got calls for $725 worth of assignments TODAY. I don't have to bust my hump for 60 hours a week for the next 3 months to get it paid to me. There's a saying: work smart, not hard.

Having said all that, it's now more clear to me than ever that you should definitely go for the UPS job. I'm sorry if this sounds insulting, but it's clear that you have no business sense whatsoever and you should definitely NOT be self employed. A person as naive and well meaning as you are will be easy to take advantage of by unscrupulous signing services, and there are quite a few out there. You'd end up doing tons and tons of extra work for free and probably wouldn't even realize that you were being screwed.

Reply by Dotti_CA on 10/14/04 12:21pm
Msg #9819

If it were me making the decision I'd accept the UPS job (benefits?) and pick up signings as you can. Since you're a Notary you still have extra income. If you are in an area saturated with signing agents it may not be possible to jump right in to the income you need so where you live in CA needs to factor in to your decision. Good Luck to you.

Reply by Stephanie / NorCal on 10/14/04 4:36pm
Msg #9839

Where in CA are you located???

I run a Signing Service based out of the Sacramento area. I have a lot of in town signings, and would be happy to give you some to see if you like this enough to choose as your full time profession. Not only do I have in town signings, but my SS is a nationwide service... and I would be more than happy to help you out. You can Email me at [e-mail address], or call my cell at 916-410-2116. I look forward to hearing from you.. Stephanie

Reply by Tina Marie Grimes on 10/14/04 4:43pm
Msg #9841

Re: Where in CA are you located???

Hi! Stephanie,
I just wanted to let you know that I live in the Sacramento area, (Rio Linda) and would be more than happy to have you contact me if you ever need anyone. My cell is 916-432-9700.

Thanks,

Tina