Here's the tea, being a mom is literally insane. But plot twist? Attempting to make some extra cash while juggling toddlers and their chaos.
I started my side hustle journey about a few years back when I figured out that my random shopping trips were getting out of hand. It was time to get some independent income.
The Virtual Assistant Life
Right so, I started out was jumping into virtual assistance. And I'll be real? It was exactly what I needed. I could get stuff done when the house was finally peaceful, and all I needed was a computer and internet.
I began by basic stuff like email management, managing social content, and entering data. Nothing fancy. My rate was about fifteen to twenty bucks hourly, which seemed low but when you're just starting, you gotta build up your portfolio.
The funniest part? I'd be on a video meeting looking all professional from the waist up—full professional mode—while wearing pants I'd owned since 2015. Living my best life.
My Etsy Journey
After a year, I ventured into the whole Etsy thing. Literally everyone seemed to be on Etsy, so I figured "why not me?"
My shop focused on crafting PDF planners and digital art prints. What's great about digital products? Make it one time, and it can sell forever. Literally, I've earned money at 3am while I was sleeping.
The first time someone bought something? I actually yelled. My husband thought there was an emergency. Not even close—it was just me, doing a happy dance for my $4.99 sale. No shame in my game.
Content Creator Life
Next I discovered blogging and content creation. This hustle is a marathon not a sprint, let me tell you.
I created a parenting blog where I posted about the chaos of parenting—everything unfiltered. No Instagram-perfect nonsense. Simply honest stories about surviving tantrums in Target.
Getting readers was painfully slow. The first few months, it was basically writing for myself and like three people. But I kept at it, and eventually, things gained momentum.
At this point? I make money through promoting products, sponsored posts, and advertisements on my site. Just last month I brought in over two thousand dollars from my website. Insane, right?
SMM Side Hustle
After I learned my own content, brands started reaching out if I could help them.
And honestly? Many companies don't understand social media. They recognize they need a presence, but they don't know how.
I swoop in. I oversee social media for several small companies—a bakery, a boutique, and a fitness studio. I plan their content, queue up posts, engage with followers, and track analytics.
They pay me between $500-$1500/month per business, depending on the scope of work. What I love? I manage everything from my phone while sitting in the carpool line.
The Freelance Writing Hustle
If you can write, freelancing is seriously profitable. I don't mean becoming Shakespeare—this is content writing for businesses.
Brands and websites are desperate for content. My assignments have included everything from dental hygiene to copyright. Google is your best friend, you just need to know how to find information.
Generally earn $0.10-0.50 per word, depending on length and complexity. When I'm hustling hard I'll write ten to fifteen pieces and pull in one to two thousand extra.
The funny thing is: I was the person who barely passed English class. Currently I'm a professional writer. Talk about character development.
Tutoring Online
After lockdown started, online tutoring exploded. As a former educator, so this was an obvious choice.
I registered on VIPKid and Tutor.com. It's super flexible, which is non-negotiable when you have unpredictable little ones.
I mainly help with elementary school stuff. The pay ranges from $15-25 per hour depending on where you work.
What's hilarious? Occasionally my children will photobomb my lessons mid-session. There was a time I educate someone's child while mine had a meltdown. My clients are usually super understanding because they're parents too.
The Reselling Game
Here me out, this one I stumbled into. During a massive cleanout my kids' closet and posted some items on Facebook Marketplace.
They sold immediately. I suddenly understood: you can sell literally anything.
These days I shop at estate sales and thrift shops, looking for good brands. I purchase something for cheap and resell at a markup.
It's labor-intensive? Absolutely. I'm photographing items, writing descriptions, shipping packages. But I find it rewarding about finding a gem at a yard sale and earning from it.
Plus: my kids are impressed when I score cool vintage stuff. Last week I scored a retro toy that my son lost his mind over. Sold it for $45. Mom for the win.
The Truth About Side Hustles
Real talk moment: this stuff requires effort. There's work involved, hence the name.
Certain days when I'm surviving on caffeine and spite, asking myself what I'm doing. I'm working before sunrise hustling before the chaos starts, then doing all the mom stuff, then back to work after everyone's in bed.
But this is what's real? These are my earnings. I'm not asking anyone to treat myself. I'm contributing to my family's finances. My kids see that you can have it all—sort of.
Advice for New Mom Hustlers
For those contemplating a side gig, here are my tips:
Don't go all in immediately. Don't try to launch everything simultaneously. Focus on one and become proficient before adding more.
Work with your schedule. Your available hours, that's perfectly acceptable. Even one focused hour is better than nothing.
Stop comparing to Instagram moms. The successful ones you see? She probably started years ago and has help. Do your thing.
Spend money on education, but carefully. Start with free stuff first. Be careful about spending $5,000 on a coaching program until you've proven the concept.
Work in batches. I learned this the hard way. Block off days for specific hustles. Monday might be content creation day. Use Wednesday for organizing and responding.
The Mom Guilt is Real
Let me be honest—I struggle with guilt. There are days when I'm working and my kid wants attention, and I feel terrible.
But I remember that I'm teaching them what dedication looks like. I'm proving to them that motherhood doesn't mean giving up your identity.
And honestly? Having my own income has been good for me. I'm more content, which translates to better parenting.
Let's Talk Money
My actual income? On average, between all my hustles, I earn $3K-5K. Some months are lower, some are slower.
Is this millionaire money? Not really. But it's paid for vacations, home improvements, and that emergency vet bill that would've been really hard. Plus it's building my skills and skills that could evolve into something huge.
Wrapping This Up
Here's the bottom line, doing this mom hustle thing is challenging. There's no magic formula. Often I'm flying by the seat of my pants, running on coffee and determination, and praying it all works out.
But I'm proud of this journey. Every single dollar I earn is validation of my effort. It's evidence that I'm a multifaceted person.
If you're on the fence about beginning your hustle journey? Start now. Begin before you're ready. Future you will be so glad you did.
And remember: You're not merely enduring—you're building something. Even when there's likely Goldfish crackers in your workspace.
No cap. It's incredible, complete with all the chaos.
From Rock Bottom to Creator Success: My Journey as a Single Mom
Here's the truth—single motherhood wasn't the dream. I never expected to be turning into an influencer. But here I am, three years later, paying bills by sharing my life online while parenting alone. And I'll be real? It's been the most terrifying, empowering, and unexpected blessing of my life.
The Beginning: When Everything Came Crashing Down
It was a few years ago when my life exploded. I remember sitting in my bare apartment (he took what he wanted, I kept what mattered), unable to sleep at 2am while my kids were finally quiet. I had eight hundred forty-seven dollars in my checking account, two mouths to feed, and a income that didn't cut it. The panic was real, y'all.
I'd been scrolling TikTok to avoid my thoughts—because that's what we do? when everything is chaos, right?—when I found this single mom sharing how she changed her life through making videos. I remember thinking, "She's lying or got lucky."
But desperation makes you brave. Or stupid. Usually both.
I installed the TikTok studio app the next morning. My first video? Completely unpolished, explaining how I'd just used my last twelve bucks on a cheap food for my kids' lunch boxes. I uploaded it and wanted to delete it. Why would anyone care about my mess?
Spoiler alert, thousands of people.
That video got 47,000 views. 47,000 people watched me almost lose it over processed meat. The comments section turned into this validation fest—women in similar situations, folks in the trenches, all saying "me too." That was my lightbulb moment. People didn't want filtered content. They wanted raw.
Building My Platform: The Real Mom Life Brand
Here's what they don't say about content creation: your niche matters. And my niche? I stumbled into it. I became the real one.
I started posting about the stuff nobody talks about. Like how I wore the same leggings all week because executive dysfunction is real. Or the time I served cereal as a meal three nights in a row and called it "creative meal planning." Or that moment when my child asked why we don't live with dad, and I had to discuss divorce to a kid who is six years old.
My content wasn't polished. My lighting was awful. I filmed on a phone with a broken screen. But it was authentic, and turns out, that's what worked.
Two months later, I hit ten thousand followers. Month three, fifty thousand. By six months, I'd crossed 100,000. Each milestone blew my mind. These were real people who wanted to know my story. Plain old me—a financially unstable single mom who had to Google "what is a content creator" not long ago.
My Daily Reality: Balancing Content and Chaos
Here's the reality of my typical day, because creating content solo is totally different from those aesthetic "day in the life" videos you see.
5:30am: My alarm goes off. I do not want to move, but this is my hustle hours. I make coffee that I'll reheat three times, and I start recording. Sometimes it's a GRWM talking about financial reality. Sometimes it's me meal prepping while sharing parenting coordination. The lighting is not great.
7:00am: Kids wake up. Content creation goes on hold. Now I'm in survival mode—feeding humans, finding the missing shoe (it's always one shoe), throwing food in bags, mediating arguments. The chaos is intense.
8:30am: Carpool line. I'm that mom creating content in traffic in the car. Don't judge me, but I gotta post.
9:00am-2:00pm: This is my productive time. I'm alone finally. I'm editing videos, being social, brainstorming content ideas, reaching out to brands, reviewing performance. Everyone assumes content creation is just posting videos. Wrong. It's a full business.
I usually batch-create content on certain days. That means creating 10-15 pieces in one session. I'll change clothes so it looks like different days. Advice: Keep wardrobe options close for fast swaps. My neighbors probably think I'm unhinged, filming myself talking to my phone in the parking lot.
3:00pm: Getting the kids. Back to parenting. But here's where it gets tricky—often my top performing content come from the chaos. Recently, my daughter had a epic meltdown in Target because I said no to a toy she didn't need. I filmed a video in the vehicle afterward about dealing with meltdowns as a solo parent. It got 2.3M views.
Evening: Dinner through bedtime. I'm typically drained to create anything, but I'll schedule content, respond to DMs, or strategize. Certain nights, after bedtime, I'll edit for hours because a deadline is coming.
The truth? There's no balance. It's just chaos with a plan with moments of success.
The Financial Reality: How I Really Earn Money
Alright, let's talk numbers because this is what everyone's curious about. Can you really earn income as a content creator? Absolutely. Is it easy? Not even close.
My first month, I made $0. Month two? $0. Third month, I got my first brand deal—$150 to share a meal kit service. I literally cried. That one-fifty bought groceries for two weeks.
Today, years later, here's how I generate revenue:
Brand Deals: This is my largest income stream. I work with brands that make sense—practical items, parenting tools, kid essentials. I charge anywhere from five hundred to several thousand per deal, depending on the scope. Last month, I did 4 sponsored posts and made $8K.
TikTok Fund: The TikTok fund pays basically nothing—a few hundred dollars per month for tons of views. AdSense is way better. I make about $1,500/month from YouTube, but that was a long process.
Link Sharing: I promote products to products I actually use—ranging from my go-to coffee machine to the bunk beds I bought. If someone clicks and buys, I get a percentage. This brings in about $800-1,200 monthly.
Online Products: I created a money management guide and a meal prep guide. $15 apiece, and I sell dozens per month. That's another $1,000-1,500.
One-on-One Coaching: Aspiring influencers pay me to mentor them. I offer consulting calls for two hundred dollars. I do about five to ten a month.
My total income: Typically, I'm making ten to fifteen thousand per month now. It varies, others are slower. It's up and down, which is nerve-wracking when you're it. But it's 3x what I made at my 9-5, and I'm present.
The Struggles Nobody Talks About
From the outside it's great until you're having a breakdown because a post got no views, or managing hate comments from strangers who think they know your life.
The negativity is intense. I've been accused of being a bad mother, told I'm a bad influence, called a liar about being a single mom. A commenter wrote, "Maybe that's why he left." That one stung for days.
The algorithm shifts. Certain periods you're getting huge numbers. Next month, you're lucky to break 1,000. Your income fluctuates. You're always on, 24/7, worried that if you take a break, you'll lose relevance.
The mom guilt is amplified times a thousand. Every upload, I wonder: Am I sharing too much? Is this okay? Will they regret this when they're adults? I have non-negotiables—no faces of my kids without permission, no sharing their private stuff, nothing that could embarrass them. But the line is hard to see.
The burnout hits hard. Certain periods when I am empty. When I'm touched out, socially drained, and totally spent. But the mortgage is due. So I show up anyway.
The Wins
But here's what's real—despite everything, this journey has given me things I never expected.
Economic stability for the first time ever. I'm not rich, but I eliminated my debt. I have an safety net. We took a actual vacation last summer—Disney World, which I never thought possible not long ago. I don't stress about my account anymore.
Schedule freedom that's priceless. When my boy was sick last month, I didn't have to ask permission or lose income. I worked from the doctor's office. When there's a class party, I'm present. I'm in their lives in ways I wasn't with a corporate job.
Community that saved me. The other influencers I've befriended, especially other single parents, have become my people. We talk, help each other, lift each other up. My followers have become this amazing support system. They cheer for me, send love, and validate me.
Me beyond motherhood. For the first time since having kids, I have something that's mine. I'm more than an ex or just a mom. I'm a CEO. A businesswoman. A person who hustled.
What I Wish I Knew
If you're a solo parent curious about this, here's my advice:
Start before you're ready. Your first videos will suck. Mine did. That's normal. You improve over time, not by procrastinating.
Be authentic, not perfect. People can sense inauthenticity. Share your true life—the messy, imperfect, chaotic reality. That's the magic.
Protect your kids. Create rules. Decide what you will and won't share. Their privacy is the priority. I keep names private, protect their faces, and keep private things private.
Don't rely on one thing. Don't rely on just one platform or one income stream. The algorithm is unpredictable. Multiple streams = safety.
Batch your content. When you have time alone, create multiple pieces. Tomorrow you will be grateful when you're drained.
Connect with followers. Engage. Check messages. Build real relationships. Your community is crucial.
Monitor what works. Not all content is worth creating. If something requires tons of time and tanks while another video takes no time and blows up, change tactics.
Take care of yourself. You matter too. Rest. Protect your peace. Your sanity matters more than going viral.
Give it time. This isn't a get-rich-quick scheme. It took me ages to make meaningful money. My first year, I made fifteen thousand. Year two, a contextual reference $80K. Year three, I'm hitting six figures. It's a process.
Remember why you started. On bad days—and they happen—remember your reason. For me, it's supporting my kids, being there, and demonstrating that I'm capable of more than I thought possible.
Real Talk Time
Listen, I'm keeping it 100. Content creation as a single mom is tough. So damn hard. You're managing a business while being the sole caretaker of children who require constant attention.
Some days I question everything. Days when the negativity get to me. Days when I'm burnt out and questioning if I should just get a "normal" job with benefits and a steady paycheck.
But but then my daughter shares she appreciates this. Or I check my balance and see money. Or I read a message from a follower saying my content helped her leave an unhealthy relationship. And I remember why I do this.
My Future Plans
Three years ago, I was broke, scared, and had no idea how to survive. Fast forward, I'm a full-time content creator making more money than I ever did in my old job, and I'm present for everything.
My goals going forward? Hit 500K by end of year. Begin podcasting for other single moms. Possibly write a book. Continue building this business that supports my family.
This journey gave me a path forward when I was drowning. It gave me a way to take care of my children, be present in their lives, and create something meaningful. It's not the path I expected, but it's where I belong.
To all the single moms wondering if you can do this: You can. It will be hard. You'll doubt yourself. But you're managing the hardest job—single parenting. You're stronger than you think.
Begin messy. Stay the course. Prioritize yourself. And know this, you're doing more than surviving—you're building something incredible.
Gotta go now, I need to go make a video about why my kid's school project is due tomorrow and surprise!. Because that's the content creator single mom life—making content from chaos, video by video.
Honestly. This life? It's the best decision. Even though there's probably crumbs stuck to my laptop right now. That's the dream, imperfectly perfect.