Today we’d like to introduce you to Drue Pettigrew.
Hi Drue, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’ve done just about every type of job under the sun. My parents, my sister, and I used to shoot professional firework shows. We shot shows for Lone Star Park, Frisco Roughriders, Round Rock Express, places all over Texas. I’ve worked in retail (Wal-Mart, which is its own adventure), auto shops. I did real estate for a short while, I sold timeshares for an even shorter while, luckily I wasn’t very good at that. I’ve driven golf carts for Texas Motor Speedway, worked in the oil field, animal adoptions for the city of Fort Worth. I worked media for a church. I’ve acted and directed plays, both volunteer and paid. I was even a councilor for a camp for people with disabilities. Anything short of military or emergency services; I did it. I was always trying to find my way and never really found my fit.
I’ve always wanted to own a business, I just never realized it, and I certainly didn’t know what business that would be. I’ve thought about trying to run a gaming store, arcade, even put some serious thought about starting a laundry mat or maybe selling custom t-shirts, but nothing ever went passed the idea stage.
Finally one day a couple years ago I came across someone on social media talking about being a mobile notary, and I went down a rabbit hole. I watched every video available, some were unbelievable, “You can make $10,000 a month! Just sign up for my course at $350!” I never fell for that. I knew that wasn’t realistic. Maybe somewhere down the line, but not right out of the gate, especially. However, I did see that you didn’t need very much to start up. Just a vehicle and a printer, and get your commission. That wasn’t for me though, I am a classic over-preparer. Luckily I had a full-time job at the time that could fund all of my beginning needs. I’ll admit, I went a little overboard and bought more than I needed. I wanted to make sure I was prepared for everything right off the bat. But, I finally got everything I needed. Got my commission, studied the material, took class after class, online course after online course, and finally I got ready to start.
That’s where the biggest problem came. It’s easy and fun to prepare, but it’s a whole other ballgame to actually get out there and start doing it. Plus, I still had a full-time job. Getting started is scary. I knew that as long as I had a full time job, that I would never venture out and do this for real. That was my drive to go on with it.
My other main drive was my grandmother. She is 89 years old, and she is a tough woman. She still has a lot of up and go. The grass will be tall and I’ll be like, “I need to cut the grass this weekend,” and I’ll come home from work, and she’ll be out on the lawn mower, or out with a saw cutting wood. When I ask her about it she’s like, “I’m gonna do it until I can’t.” I know that the day is gonna come when she actually can’t. My mother had a series of strokes, and after a decade finally had to go in a nursing facility. When she was sick, she had me, my grandmother, and my sister to help take care of her until she died. My dad had me, his wife, and my sister, I to help take care of him when he got cancer and eventually died. I got to thinking, when my grandmother gets sick, there’s really nobody left. My sister works a lot, and I was working a lot, and if my grandmother got to where she can’t take care of herself, I don’t want to be gone for ten hours+ a day. I need something where I can be home most of the day, and just be gone and hour or two at a time.
Lastly her house was built in the 1940s. It’s age is really starting to show. So I needed something where I’m not just getting paid, but something where I can actually make money to help fix up the house. Even though my full-time job paid pretty decently, it wasn’t enough to hardly fix anything. I needed something where I could make some real money, and fix this house back up to where it can not only be safe for her, but a place she can be proud of living. She’s an amazing woman, and I want to spoil her as much as possible while I have the chance.
I knew that as long as I was working a full-time job that it would always be my crutch and I would never step out into my own business. So I pondered on it for months, and when I say pondered, what I really mean is stressed out about it uncontrollably. It’s a risk; leaving a safe, fairly comfortable, secure job to venture out into oblivion. Out into the unknown, and risk the terrifying fear of failure. I felt like everything I’ve ever tried has lead to failure. Looking back of all the jobs I’ve had, I don’t have anything tangible to show for it, except some cool stories (I do have some legendary Wal-Mart stories). and perspective, which is something you can’t really buy. But if I try to show what I have from doing all those jobs, I got nothing. Was venturing out into the wild, unpredictable world of business ownership just going to be another failure? I had to know for sure. So I put in my two weeks, actually it was more like a month notice. Got my business account, I already had my notary commission, so now it was time to actually use it. So I started RealDrue Mobile Notary & Trust Delivery
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I started my business, RealDrue Mobile Notary & Trust Delivery. And trust me, when people said that starting your own business is the single most stressful thing you would ever do, I didn’t know what they were talking about…now I do. I started last July, and have been trying everything I can to get my business off the ground. It’s difficult, and stressful, I love it. I’m striving everyday to be successful. I love working for myself, meeting other business owners in other industries. I love meeting other notaries, and building a network where we can all succeed.
When people talk about business, they talk about peaks and valleys, but what they don’t tell you is when you are starting out, those peaks look more like mounds and hills. I think I just passed the mound phase and maybe going into the hill phase, but I am chasing that peak phase, and I will get there. Just gotta keep going.
We’ve been impressed with RealDrue Mobile Notary & Trust Delivery, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
At heart, my business is a mobile notary. If someone is needing a document notarized, they call me and I can meet them anywhere, anytime, anyhow. I can come to their home or office if they don’t want to spend their free-time looking for a notary, or for some reason they can’t get out of their house. I have done notarizations in the county jail, in parking lots, and even in a message parlor.
My main focus though is estate planning. That is where the “Trust Delivery” part of my business name comes in. I can’t draft trusts, but I love notarizing them. I didn’t invent the service, but I am on of the pioneers a service that is tailored especially for estate planning attorneys, that will revolutionize their firms. It’s called the CENTDA (Certified Executive Notary Trust Delivery Agent) service. I believe this is a revolutionary idea for the notary business and once we can get a few estate planning attorneys on board, and they see how much this helps their firms grow, this will become standard practice among attorneys.
What sets me apart from others is that I’m not just a stamp for hire. I’m not just a vendor that comes along, stamps your documents as quickly as possible, and leaves. I am an experience. I’m proud that my brand stands on personability and accuracy. There’s a lot of people got fooled by those social media posts thinking they are just going to come in and make $10,000 a month, but don’t want to put in the effort. When they realize that this is real work, they scoff and don’t take it seriously.
I have several repeat clients, from personal clients, to title offices, and attorneys. Attorney offices and title companies use me because I’m not just a vendor for them, I am a full extension of their office. My personal clients repeat because I don’t just treat them like another appointment that I have to get through so I can get paid. I take my time, we go through every document page by page, and make sure nothing is missed. Then when we are done, I will go back through the documents to make sure nothing is missed, or incorrect, sometimes I’ll do it one more time just to make sure. “Give more than you get back in payment,” that is a motto that I take with me to every appointment, whether I’m hired by a law firm, a title company, or someone calls me personally on the phone, and I treat everyone the same whether they are seniors in their post golden years, or in their twenties just starting their adult life.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
We’ll do least first because I like to leave on a good note.
Least:
I think everyone can agree on this…traffic! Oh, and what I think is worse than traffic is…construction! Which is the cause for a lot of the terrible traffic. I think I-35 has been under some sort of construction for as long as I can remember. My mom and dad and I used to go to the Dallas Sidekicks games when they played out of Reunion Arena, and I swear they are still working on that same patch of road that they were back then.
Best:
I love the culture. I love the blend of modernism with keeping with the history of what made this town. I love going to Deep Elem going to the Bomb Factory or Club Da Da, or going to Fort Worth to Sundance Square and seeing all the street musicians and performers. No matter what you seek whether its music, art, history, sports, literature, architecture, you don’t have to go very far to find it. Between Fort Worth and Dallas, you have all you could need or want. It’s like experiencing Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory, but for culture. It’s great for people watching, too. Which might be one of my favorite things to do.
Pricing:
- GNW – <=10miles: travel fee $40 +$10 per stamp
- GNW – > 10 miles: travel fee $1 per mile both ways + $10 per stamp
- Loan Signing: Listed on Website. Includes travel fee.
- Trust Delivery: Flat Fee. What is agreed between the attorney and I
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.realdruellc.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realdrue/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/realdrue/
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-pettigrew-818a1888
- Twitter: https://x.com/RealDrue
- Youtube: https://www.yelp.com/biz/realdrue-mobile-notary-hudson-oaks
- Other: Google: https://g.page/r/CdKEED89CT_4EBM
Image Credits
Headshots-Shelby Rhodes Photography, RealDrue Logo is my creation. Badge from Weatherford Chamber of Commerce. NNA Badge from National Notary Association as a Signing Agent. Photo-Weatherford Chamber of Commerce.
