Hidden Gems: Meet Frank Metayer of Apostille Near Me

Today we’d like to introduce you to Frank Metayer.  

Hi Frank, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
I was introduced to the world of signature authentication while working for the National Notary Association (NNA) in 2004. At the time, I sold Notary Signing Agent training packages. 

But it wasn’t until a second stint at the NNA — after trying to get a real estate investment firm off the ground — that I saw the potential of being a self-employed Notary. 

I was full of enthusiasm but lacked any real experience. My first year was hard. I managed to start getting a lot of loan-signing assignments from a local signing service but did not get paid much for my efforts. 

One of the things that helped save my new career was getting a mentor. I have always heard that in order to succeed, one needs a mentor — someone who is already successful in the industry that you’re in — to survive. I was about to give up on being a self-employed Notary Signing Agent when my mentor reminded me that I needed to do more than just loan signings. 

She told me about other types of services I could offer. She also started to experiment with different marketing techniques. Traditional methods, such as postcards and fliers, proved ineffective. 

Things changed when I started applying techniques on the internet, such as Google Adwords Express, which targets local businesses. I also set up a Yelp account and got clients to write reviews of my services. Yelp made a night and day difference. Business really picked up after I got three five-star reviews, then went through the roof after five reviews.” 

That new business included a growing influx of general Notary work — such as notarizing trust documents. I also worked with a company that needs Notaries to witness DNA collection for immigration services, among other unusual jobs. Then it led to learning and gaining the skillsets of getting government documents properly authenticated and legalized through proper government agency or agencies for all type of immigration signature authentication/legalization services. 

As result to my success in Government signature authentication/legalization services of I then launched a national apostille agency called Apostille Near Me, serving as a Business Service Provider (Agent) for government document signature, Apostille, Attestation, Authentication, Certification, and Embassy needs. 

After a little more than 3 years in business, Apostille Near Me have served clients through the United States and other countries, including China, Greece, Mexico, The Netherlands, and South Korea. We have authenticated more than over 4,000 transactions. The Better Business Serving the Pacific Southwest nominated Apostille Near Me as one of finalist for the 2020 BBB Torch Awards for Ethics in the 1-5 Employees Category! 

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?
The struggle that I had was marketing and uncertainty. Marketing is one of the those things that comes naturally or enact. In other words, there are those that graduates from college w/a marketing degree but still is unable to perform, compared to those that never stepped in school but managed to make it! 

What helped with the struggle is connecting with a mentor that was already successful in the industry I was trying to become successful in! 

Re: uncertainty. It was the lack of not knowing or seeing the final results after putting in the hard work and effort into it; therefore, all you could do is rely on the unforeseen or unexpected. 

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Apostille Near Me is private organization that helps with Apostille, Attestation, Authentication, Translation, Certification, and Embassy needs. We are the leader in document Authentication, Certification, Apostille, & Embassy Consulate Legalization. We provide fast document authentication services through all 50 U.S. States, including the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. 

Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
According to experience: Like attracts like. In other words, similar things are attracted to one another. It means that people tend to attract people who are similar to them. 

From my personal example, there certain people that based on their personality, mannerism, and the way they speak, I know in accordance to how I behave and conduct business, we would immediately click/connect on our first conversation. Based on that example, I would search on finding a mentor in my industry and reach out to him or her. This requires work and patience, but the benefits of finding a good mentor greatly outweighs the requirements. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.apostillenearme.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/apostillenearme/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063625230078
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/apostille-near-me-768233173/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/ApostilleNearMe
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM3O1caNo8LrD48n8-eHvzQ?view_as=subscriber
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/apostille-near-me-san-diego