Why Most Process Servers Go Out-of-Business

By Nelson Tucker

Isn’t it amazing that you often call an old phone number for a process server who you used in the past only to discover that the number has been disconnected? Unfortunately, it happens all too often and it is because too many process servers do not take what they do seriously enough to make their business successful.

How do I know? I have been training process servers for the past 29 years and have been a process server myself since 1978. I have personally trained over 1700 process servers nationwide and have seen most of them come and go. It’s not that they were not well trained – I would never say that. Its just that they found a career that they thought was lucrative but they failed to do the “business” part of the business.

[Process serving is like any profession – it requires a proper education,
the necessary tools of the trade, and a good business sense]

It must be pointed out that most process servers are capable and reliable. It’s the few who are not proficient in their field that end up going out of business.

Jerry was a process server who was introduced to the business by his cousin. He liked the flexible hours but did not like paying his own expenses. He had always worked for someone else as an employee and the transition to becoming an independent contractor was a big paradigm shift for him. Eventually, he became accustomed to being responsible for overhead in exchange for the self-employment income that he was earning. It was a shift from payroll to profits. The only problem was he spent everything he made, and when a few of his large accounts fell seriously behind on payments to him, he was forced to close his doors.

Process serving is like any profession – it requires a proper education, the necessary tools of the trade, and a good business sense. The education and training are the easy part. Obtaining the tools of the trade is doable. It’s the good business sense that creates a problem.

Many process servers went into business for themselves after working for a short time for someone else. They saw the opportunity to make a serious income by owning their own company but often did not have the proper business experience. They lacked the skills of marketing, time management, personnel development and all of the proficiencies needed to be a successful business person. Thus, they struggled or failed!

Here are the primary reasons process servers fail to be successful and eventually go out of business:

1. Not a self-starter: When you work for someone else it is easy to obey the alarm clock and go to work on a daily schedule. However, when you work for yourself, as most process servers do, it is not always easy to develop a habit of working when there is no one to tell you what is to be done. Good process servers understand the need to be a self-starter. Great process servers are “go-getters!”


2. Do not have good marketing skills: All businesses, both large and small, must find a way to let customers/clients understand the benefits of doing business with them. The same is true with process servers – selling benefits rather than selling the product. Marketing skills are easily learned but the strategies change regularly with the advent of technology and modern methods of getting the word out about your services.


3. Do not understand what it takes to run a business: Most new process servers starting out are either young (20’s) or retired (often from law enforcement). Young people often do not have good business skills based on lack of experience while former law enforcement officers previously worked for the government and likely were not exposed to the rigors of being self-employed.


4. Are not honest in everything they do: This problem is larger than you may wish to believe. I wrote in a recent blog entitled “ Why Some Process Servers Cheat” (www.processnet1.blogspot.com) stating that “some” process servers cheat because of lack of morals, being lazy, taking short-cuts, or simply because they have gotten away with it in the past. However, if you treat every defendant as you would wish to be treated if you were in their shoes, your job will be easier and due process will be served.

Of course, not every process server fits into the categories above. Most of the process servers with whom I have worked have been hard working and true to their duties; those are the ones who succeed. It’s the few who do not who are the subject of this writing.

My goal has always been to help others be successful in our profession. Once I fully understood how process serving really work, I was able to teach others to be the best that they could be. Many “old timers” in the business were extremely critical of my efforts to train so many new process servers back in the 1980’s. Most of them have gone on but I am still here – not yet ready to retire.

I have had the privilege of writing three books on service of process. The first was authored in 1994, “Getting Rich in Process Serving” followed by “Process Serving for Pros.” Both are available online at www.processnet1.com . The newest publication is almost ready for print and is entitled “ReInvent Your Process Service (or P.I.) Business” and a draft copy is available on our website.

Why do so many process servers go out of business? I assume you have some answers and I welcome your comments and feedback.

Nelson Tucker is CEO of Process Service Network located in the Los Angeles area. He has been a process server and owner of a legal services firm for the past 33 years. His company specializes in international and hard-to-serve cases. He may be contacted at processnet@sbcglobal.net .