Is It Hard to Be a Notary?

Is It Hard to Be a Notary?

(Short Answer: Yes. Longer Answer: Yes, but it’s not impossible—just misunderstood.)

Let’s skip the sugar-coating.

Being a notary isn’t just buying a stamp and waiting for people to throw documents at you like you’re the Beyoncé of paperwork.

It’s hard.

Not because it’s overly technical (though it can be), and not because you need a law degree (you don’t). It’s hard because you’re stepping into a crowded, unglamorous, misunderstood profession—and trying to make it work without a roadmap.

So yes. It’s hard. Let me tell you why.

The Market is Saturated

You’re not imagining it. There are a lot of notaries, especially in places like California, where the population is high and the exam is just accessible enough to tempt the masses. My notary exam had about 60 people in it, and that was just one of 4 exam sessions that day. All full!

You’ll see social media posts saying things like, “Anyone can become a notary in 3 easy steps!”

Cool. What they don’t mention is that once you’re sworn in, you’re entering a market where everyone and their cousin just got commissioned and bought a printer off Amazon. Now you’re all competing for attention, clients, and credibility—and only some of you have a business plan.

Being a notary isn’t the golden ticket people promise. It’s a service business. And service businesses take time, effort, and strategy to grow.

Inexperience is Real

Even if you’re ethical, diligent, and pumped about your stamp, if you’re new, you’re probably going to second-guess every single thing you do.

And why wouldn’t you? California notary law is intensely specific and wildly vague in all the wrong places. The handbooks read like a Choose Your Own Liability Adventure. The test doesn’t prepare you for real-world weirdness. And when someone hands you a stack of documents and says, “You know what to do, right?” you want to scream.

So yes. There’s a learning curve. And there’s not always someone around to walk you through it without charging $497 for a 90-minute Zoom.

The Self-Esteem Hit is Brutal

Let’s talk about the head stuff. Because this one cuts deep.

When you’re new and unsure, everything feels personal. You wonder if you're good enough, smart enough, professional enough. You question your pricing, your boundaries, and your ability to run a business. You compare yourself to seasoned notaries and wonder if you’ll ever stop feeling like an impostor.

Add to that the pressure of being a small business owner (or a side hustler with big dreams), and suddenly a simple stamp feels like it weighs ten pounds.

I won’t lie: this job will mess with your confidence if you let it.

But here’s the truth no one says out loud enough:

You’re allowed to be inexperienced and still be valuable.You’re allowed to not know everything and still be capable.You’re allowed to grow slowly and still be successful.

So... Is It Hard?

Yes. But that doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong.

It means you're doing something real. Something that takes patience, guts, and a healthy amount of talking to yourself in the car.

Final Thought

If you’re a new notary feeling overwhelmed by competition, uncertainty, and the sinking feeling that maybe you’re not cut out for this, you’re not alone. And you’re not failing. You’re building something. And building is always hard at first.

Let people underestimate you. Let the algorithms hype overnight success. You keep showing up, learning your craft, and holding yourself to a standard you can be proud of.

Eventually, that inexperience will turn into wisdom, that shaky confidence will become steadiness, and you’ll look back and realize—you didn’t just survive the hard parts. You earned your place.

I’m Yuriko, a new notary who gets it. If you’re in the early stages and feeling lost, know that you're not alone—and I’m rooting for you. Comment below where you're from and share a link to your site or your information. We're not competitors in my book, we're colleagues.