Send a text If you’re a notary wondering whether there’s a real future beyond loan signings, this episode will challenge how you think about your role, your business model, and the kind of work you want to be doing long-term. Bill Soroka sits down with Dean Eason-Williams, a North Carolina Notary Public, estate signing specialist, educator, and founder of NotaryCLT Services—the first signing company built exclusively around estate signing ceremonies. Dean’s story mirrors the experience of many notaries. He entered the industry focused on loan signings, skeptical of new opportunities, and unsure whether estate planning work was even a real niche. Through personal loss, hands-on experience at the signing table, and years of working directly with families and attorneys, he made a decisive pivot into estate planning and trust delivery—and never looked back. We talk about why estate signings feel fundamentally different from transactional work, and why presence, empathy, and professionalism matter just as much as technical accuracy. Dean explains what notaries often underestimate about the emotional weight of estate planning appointments, and why he intentionally uses the phrase estate signing ceremony to describe the work. You’ll also hear practical insights on: How notaries can stay compliant and confident without crossing into unauthorized practice of lawThe importance of understanding estate documents well enough to ethically redirect signer questionsWhy attorneys value notaries who can reduce friction instead of creating more workWhat led Dean to walk away from loan signings and build an estate-only signing companyHow quality assurance is becoming the defining factor for the next evolution of signing companiesWhy specialization creates stability, higher-value appointments, and stronger professional relationshipsDean also shares the motivation behind his book, From Trust to Transfer, a practical, plain-language guide written specifically for notaries who want to conduct estate planning signing ceremonies with clarity, confidence, and care. The book focuses on real-world scenarios, document familiarity, ethical redirection language, and helping notaries overcome fear when stepping into this work. If you’re feeling burned out by low-pay signing services, race-to-the-bottom pricing, constant reprints, or work that feels purely transactional, this episode introduces a different model—one built on trust, service, and sustainable business growth. We also close with a bigger conversation about legacy: what it means to raise the bar in the notary profession, why doing the work well matters decades later, and how notaries can become part of the solution instead of another point of failure for families. This episode is especially relevant if you are: a new notary exploring alternatives to loan signingsan experienced notary ready to pivot or specializeinterested in estate planning, trust delivery, or working with attorneyscurious about building a signing business around quality and professionalismBefore you move on to the next episode, remember this: Insight alone doesn’t change a notary business. Execution does. Join my free Skool community here Contact Dean Here: NotaryCLT Services https://www.notaryclt.com Apex Mentorship (Skool) https://www.skool.com/notarycltapex From Trust to Transfer on Amazon https://a.co/d/06R9DjRq
