Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Johnson Eldridge.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I’m a mother of three beautiful children, Romel 21, Evan 13, and Morgan 11 a graduated of Grambling State University with a Master of Science in Criminal Law, a Texas mediator, former federal government employee, former social services program manager. I am currently a full-time law and public safety teacher and nationwide Remote Online Notary Trainer. As a teacher, I was looking for ways to spend the summer off and obtain supplemental income to compensate the career change.
In Fall 2017, I stumbled upon remote online notary (RON) as I needed a notary to complete some forms and I didn’t have time to get off work and stand in long lines. This led me to doing research online looking for a notary and found a remote online notary (RON) located in the state of Virginia. I was so skeptical about the process of a notary in another state having authority to notarize my documents online, but I figured give it a try. I immediately started looking up Texas state laws and policies on RON and realized that our state would become a RON state the following year of July 2018.
March 2018, I decided to become a notary in Texas, after researching the market, and I grew a great fascination with RON. I took some money I had saved up and invested into a website, RON software, marketing, & advertising, joined a local chambers of commerce, everything I thought it would take me to get a great start to a new business, a new concept, a new mindset. Though I was new to running my own business, I wasn’t a stranger to entrepreneurship, as I come from a family of entrepreneurs back home in Louisiana. On July 1st, 2018, I was one of the first commissioned online notaries in the state of Texas.
As I started building my business and sharing information on social media about RON more and more people in the general public would ask me how the process works. Other notaries asked me to teach them on the process, as there were no educational resources available for RON. At first, I turned the idea down, as I was contemplating on teaching others who would compete against me in business. I wanted to make sure that I was well established before sharing my ideas with other. Therefore, I decided to start a Facebook group which discussed RON and invite other notaries who was interested in the group to discuss it. I was asked repeatedly to teach and train other notaries on the basics of RON.
At this point, I thought well I am a full-time teacher and I am a commissioned online notary for the state of Texas. Surely, I could create a curriculum to teach the basics on RON. I pitched the idea to the RON software company; I am signed up with and they loved the idea and provided me support on their platform and named me as their first Certified Remote Online Notary Trainer. January 2019, I held my first RON training class. My name grew rapidly throughout the notary world. From Texas, Nevada, Virginia, Montana, New York, Florida, Michigan, Montana, Oklahoma, and many more. The demand was growing.
By mid-year 2019, I started consulting with title companies, lenders, attorneys and building more and more partnerships within the real estate industry.
The last quarter of 2019, I was invited to be a guest at a RON Symposium, with lenders, and titles.
In November 2019, I self-published my first book, Remote Online Notary Training System Vol. 1, it’s a guide on how to get started with RON.
December 2019, I landed my first partnership with a local lender providing eclosings.
January 2020, I launched my own remote online notary signing company providing full eclosings. I currently have a team of independent notaries in DFW, Houston, Austin, and Florida, that are contracted to provide these services.
My goal is to give independent notaries the flexibility, educational resources and support as they transition to working as Remote Online Notaries.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road has not been smooth at all, as matter of fact I was rejected from some Facebook notary groups simply because I wanted to encourage other notaries to embrace RON. There were so many stumbling blocks within the RON process, county clerks weren’t even aware of the new laws and policies and half of the clerk’s offices would not accept RON documents. I started feeling like this would never get off the ground with so many people in the general public unaware, so many incomplete pieces to the puzzle.
Certified Texas Electronic Notary – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I am remote online notary company. I provide online notarizations throughout the state of Texas, I am the creator of the Remote Online Notary Training System, which trains independent notaries nationwide, I also started an Online Signing Services Company which completes real estate closings online. The author of Remote Online Notary Training System, Vol. 1
What sets my company apart is experienced with RON. I currently have experience on the top five RON platforms nationwide and provides transparent consultation to lenders, and titles based upon evidence base research.
I am most proud of every step it has taken me to get to the point I’m at today with building valued partnerships with lenders, titles, software, and most importantly keeping independent notaries working through RON with decent pay and hours.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Self Publishing my book How to get started as Remote Online Notary.
Pricing:
- To complete a 1 page online notary document is 32.00, Most documents are acceptable
- We offer Remote Online Notary Trainings ranging from $200.00 -$995.99,
- Book can purchase on Amazon for 18.99
Contact Info:
- Website: www.txelectronicnotary.com
- Phone: 8178949072
- Email: melissajohnsoneldridge@gmail.com
- Instagram: melissa_johnson_eldridge
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/txelectronicnotary/
- Other: enotraytrainingclasses.com
Image Credit:
Photo Credits: Vincent L. Gulley; Styled and Fashioned by: LaTisha Guillory Mack, Eye Control Consulting
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