Let me tell you, mom life is no joke. But you know what's even crazier? Working to get that bread while managing children who have boundless energy while I'm running on fumes.
I started my side hustle journey about a few years back when I had the epiphany that my random shopping trips were becoming problematic. It was time to get funds I didn't have to justify spending.
Being a VA
So, my initial venture was becoming a virtual assistant. And real talk? It was ideal. It let me get stuff done when the house was finally peaceful, and the only requirement was my laptop and decent wifi.
I began by easy things like handling emails, doing social media scheduling, and entering data. Pretty straightforward. My rate was about fifteen to twenty bucks hourly, which seemed low but for someone with zero experience, you gotta begin at the bottom.
Honestly the most hilarious thing? I would be on a video meeting looking like I had my life together from the chest up—full professional mode—while sporting sweatpants. That's the dream honestly.
The Etsy Shop Adventure
After getting my feet wet, I thought I'd test out the handmade marketplace scene. All my mom friends seemed to sell stuff on Etsy, so I was like "why not join the party?"
I started making PDF planners and digital art prints. The beauty of printables? Design it once, and it can make money while you sleep. Genuinely, I've gotten orders at ungodly hours.
When I got my first order? I lost my mind. He came running thinking there was an emergency. But no—it was just me, doing a happy dance for my first five bucks. Judge me if you want.
Content Creator Life
Eventually I ventured into blogging and content creation. This hustle is a marathon not a sprint, trust me on this.
I started a blog about motherhood where I posted about real mom life—all of it, no filter. Keeping it real. Simply real talk about finding mystery stains on everything I own.
Building traffic was slow. The first few months, it was basically talking to myself. But I persisted, and over time, things started clicking.
These days? I earn income through affiliate marketing, brand partnerships, and advertisements on my site. Recently I brought in over two thousand dollars from my blog income. Wild, right?
Managing Social Media
Once I got decent at managing my blog's social media, small companies started asking if I could help them.
Here's the thing? Most small businesses don't understand social media. They understand they need a presence, but they don't know how.
That's where I come in. I now manage social media for several small companies—various small businesses. I make posts, schedule posts, respond to comments, and monitor performance.
I bill between $500-$1500/month per client, depending on the complexity. Here's what's great? I handle this from my phone during soccer practice.
Freelance Writing Life
For the wordy folks, freelancing is a goldmine. I don't mean literary fiction—this is content writing for businesses.
Businesses everywhere constantly need fresh content. My assignments have included everything from literally everything under the sun. You just need to research, you just need to be able to learn quickly.
Usually make between fifty and two hundred per article, depending on the topic and length. Certain months I'll create 10-15 articles and pull in a couple thousand dollars.
Plot twist: I'm the same person who struggled with essays. Now I'm earning a living writing. The irony.
Tutoring Online
During the pandemic, virtual tutoring became huge. As a former educator, so this was kind of a natural fit.
I signed up with VIPKid and Tutor.com. You make your own schedule, which is crucial when you have kids with unpredictable schedules.
I focus on elementary reading and math. You can make from $15-$25/hour depending on which site you use.
What's hilarious? Occasionally my children will interrupt mid-session. I've had to maintain composure during complete chaos in the background. Other parents are incredibly understanding because they're parents too.
The Reselling Game
Here me out, this one happened accidentally. I was cleaning out my kids' things and listed some clothes on copyright.
Stuff sold out within hours. That's when I realized: you can sell literally anything.
Now I visit anywhere with deals, hunting for things that will sell. I'll buy something for a few dollars and make serious profit.
It's definitely work? For sure. There's photographing, listing, and shipping. But it's oddly satisfying about discovering a diamond in the rough at Goodwill and making money.
Bonus: my kids are impressed when I score cool vintage stuff. Just last week I scored a collectible item that my son freaked out about. Flipped it for forty-five bucks. Mom for the win.
The Truth About Side Hustles
Real talk moment: side hustles aren't passive income. It's called hustling because you're hustling.
Some days when I'm completely drained, doubting everything. I wake up early being productive before the madness begins, then doing all the mom stuff, then working again after bedtime.
But here's what matters? These are my earnings. No permission needed to splurge on something nice. I'm adding to our household income. I'm showing my kids that moms can do anything.
Advice for New Mom Hustlers
For those contemplating a mom hustle, this is what I've learned:
Begin with something manageable. You can't launch everything simultaneously. Focus on one and become proficient before expanding.
Be realistic about time. Your available hours, that's totally valid. Even one focused hour is better than nothing.
Comparison is the thief of joy to Instagram moms. Those people with massive success? She's been grinding forever and has support. Run your own race.
Invest in yourself, but carefully. You don't need expensive courses. Be careful about spending huge money on programs until you've tried things out.
Work in batches. This saved my sanity. Use time blocks for different things. Monday might be writing day. Make Wednesday administrative work.
Let's Talk Mom Guilt
I'm not gonna lie—I struggle with guilt. Sometimes when I'm working and my kid wants attention, and I feel terrible.
But I consider that I'm teaching them that hard work matters. I'm proving to them that you can be both.
Plus? Making my own money has improved my mental health. I'm happier, which translates to better parenting.
The Numbers
The real numbers? Most months, total from all sources, I bring in $3K-5K. It varies, it fluctuates.
Is it life-changing money? Nope. But it's paid for so many things we needed that would've been really hard. It's giving me confidence and experience that could become a full-time thing.
Final Thoughts
Listen, doing this mom hustle thing is hard. There's no secret sauce. Many days I'm improvising everything, running on coffee and determination, and doing my best.
But I'm glad I'm doing this. Every single penny made is proof that I can do hard things. It's evidence that I'm not just someone's mother.
If you're thinking about diving into this? Start now. Don't wait for perfect. Your future self will thank you.
Always remember: You're not just making it through—you're building something. Despite the fact that you probably have old cheerios on your keyboard.
Seriously. This mom hustle life is pretty amazing, despite the chaos.
Surviving to Thriving: My Journey as a Single Mom
Real talk—being a single parent wasn't on my vision board. I never expected to be turning into an influencer. But fast forward to now, three years later, paying bills by sharing my life online while raising two kids basically solo. And not gonna lie? It's been life-changing in every way of my life.
How It Started: When Everything Imploded
It was 2022 when my life exploded. I remember sitting in my mostly empty place (he got the furniture, I got the memories), scrolling mindlessly at 2am while my kids slept. I had eight hundred forty-seven dollars in my checking account, two kids to support, and a job that barely covered rent. The fear was overwhelming, y'all.
I'd been scrolling TikTok to distract myself from the anxiety—because that's the move? when everything is chaos, right?—when I saw this single mom discussing how she paid off $30,000 in debt through being a creator. I remember thinking, "That can't be real."
But being broke makes you bold. Or crazy. Probably both.
I installed the TikTok app the next morning. My first video? Raw, unfiltered, messy hair, explaining how I'd just used my last twelve bucks on a dinosaur nuggets and snacks for my kids' lunches. I shared it and felt sick. Who gives a damn about this disaster?
Spoiler alert, a lot of people.
That video got 47K views. Forty-seven thousand people watched me breakdown over processed meat. The comments section was this validation fest—fellow solo parents, folks in the trenches, all saying "this is my life." That was my epiphany. People didn't want perfection. They wanted honest.
Discovering My Voice: The Real Mom Life Brand
Here's what nobody tells you about content creation: you need a niche. And my niche? It happened organically. I became the real one.
I started sharing the stuff everyone keeps private. Like how I wore the same leggings all week because washing clothes was too much. Or the time I let them eat Lucky Charms for dinner three nights in a row and called it "breakfast for dinner week." Or that moment when my six-year-old asked about the divorce, and I had to talk about complex things to a kid who believes in magic.
My content wasn't polished. My lighting was awful. I filmed on a ancient iPhone. But it was honest, and apparently, that's what hit.
Within two months, I hit 10K. Month three, 50,000. By month six, I'd crossed a hundred thousand. Each milestone felt surreal. People who wanted to listen to me. Me—a financially unstable single mom who had to Google "what is a content creator" recently.
The Actual Schedule: Content Creation Meets Real Life
Here's the reality of my typical day, because creating content solo is the opposite of those perfect "day in the life" videos you see.
5:30am: My alarm goes off. I do not want to move, but this is my sacred content creation time. I make coffee that I'll forget about, and I start recording. Sometimes it's a get-ready-with-me discussing money struggles. Sometimes it's me making food while talking about co-parenting struggles. The lighting is not great.
7:00am: Kids get up. Content creation goes on hold. Now I'm in mommy mode—feeding humans, finding the missing shoe (where do they go), making lunch boxes, mediating arguments. The chaos is intense.
8:30am: School drop-off. I'm that mom filming at red lights when stopped. Not my proudest moment, but I gotta post.
9:00am-2:00pm: This is my work block. Kids are at school. I'm cutting clips, responding to comments, planning content, pitching brands, reviewing performance. They believe content creation is only filming. It's not. It's a entire operation.
I usually batch-create content on Mondays and Wednesdays. That means shooting multiple videos in a few hours. I'll swap tops so it looks like different days. Life hack: Keep several shirts ready for fast swaps. My neighbors think I've lost it, making videos in public in the driveway.
3:00pm: School pickup. Transition back to mom mode. But here's where it gets tricky—frequently my best content ideas come from the chaos. A few days ago, my daughter had a epic meltdown in Target because I said no to a $40 toy. I made content in the Target parking lot after about handling public tantrums as a solo parent. It got over 2 million views.
Evening: Dinner, homework, bath time, bedtime routines. I'm usually too exhausted to create anything, but I'll plan posts, check DMs, or strategize. Some nights, after they're down, I'll edit for hours because a partnership is due.
The truth? There's no balance. It's just chaos with a plan with occasional wins.
Income Breakdown: How I Generate Income
Look, let's get into the finances because this is what everyone's curious about. Can you actually make money as a content creator? 100%. Is it simple? Not even close.
My first month, I made $0. Month two? Also nothing. Month three, I got my first sponsored post—$150 to post about a meal kit service. I literally cried. That hundred fifty dollars bought groceries for two weeks.
Currently, three years in, here's how I make money:
Collaborations: This is my largest income stream. I work with brands that make sense—affordable stuff, single-parent resources, kids' stuff. I charge anywhere from $500-5K per deal, depending on deliverables. This past month, I did 4 sponsored posts and made eight grand.
Ad Money: The TikTok fund pays very little—two to four hundred per month for tons of views. YouTube money is better. I make about $1,500/month from YouTube, but that was a long process.
Affiliate Links: I promote products to products I actually use—anything from my beloved coffee maker to the bunk beds I bought. If anyone buys, I get a commission. This brings in about $1K monthly.
Digital Products: I created a single mom budget planner and a meal prep guide. They sell for fifteen dollars, and I sell fifty to a hundred per month. That's another thousand to fifteen hundred.
One-on-One Coaching: Other aspiring creators pay me to mentor them. I offer consulting calls for two hundred dollars. I do about several a month.
Total monthly income: On average, I'm making ten to fifteen thousand per month currently. It varies, some are tougher. It's variable, which is scary when you're solo. But it's triple what I made at my previous job, and I'm home when my kids need me.
The Dark Side Nobody Mentions
It looks perfect online until you're crying in your car because a post tanked, or handling nasty DMs from random people.
The haters are brutal. I've been told I'm a terrible parent, told I'm exploiting my kids, questioned about being a solo parent. A commenter wrote, "Maybe that's why he left." That one stuck with me.
The algorithm changes constantly. One week you're getting insane views. Then suddenly, you're getting nothing. Your income goes up and down. You're always creating, never resting, afraid to pause, you'll fall behind.
The mom guilt is amplified to the extreme. Each post, I wonder: Is this appropriate? Are my kids safe? Will they regret this when they're grown? I have firm rules—no faces of my kids without permission, no discussing their personal struggles, no embarrassing content. But the line is fuzzy.
The burnout is real. Certain periods when I am empty. When I'm exhausted, over it, and completely finished. But life doesn't stop. So I push through.
The Wins
But here's the thing—even with the struggles, this journey has blessed me with things I never dreamed of.
Money security for the first time ever. I'm not a millionaire, but I eliminated my debt. I have an emergency fund. We took a real vacation last summer—the Mouse House, which seemed impossible a couple years back. I don't dread checking my balance anymore.
Time freedom that's priceless. When my kid was ill last month, I didn't have to stress about missing work or panic. I worked from the doctor's office. When there's a class party, I attend. I'm available in ways I couldn't manage with a regular job.
Community that saved me. The fellow creators I've befriended, a background piece especially single moms, have become actual friends. We vent, collaborate, lift each other up. My followers have become this family. They celebrate my wins, support me, and show me I'm not alone.
Something that's mine. Finally, I have an identity. I'm not defined by divorce or somebody's mother. I'm a content creator. A content creator. A person who hustled.
Advice for Aspiring Creators
If you're a single mom wanting to start, here's what I'd tell you:
Begin now. Your first videos will be terrible. Mine did. That's okay. You learn by doing, not by waiting.
Keep it real. People can smell fake from a mile away. Share your actual life—the mess. That's the magic.
Protect your kids. Set boundaries early. Have standards. Their privacy is everything. I protect their names, minimize face content, and never discuss anything that could embarrass them.
Build multiple income streams. Diversify or a single source. The algorithm is unpredictable. More streams = less stress.
Batch your content. When you have free time, film multiple videos. Next week you will appreciate it when you're burnt out.
Interact. Engage. Check messages. Build real relationships. Your community is what matters.
Monitor what works. Not all content is worth creating. If something takes four hours and gets nothing while a different post takes minutes and gets 200,000 views, pivot.
Prioritize yourself. You need to fill your cup. Rest. Guard your energy. Your sanity matters more than going viral.
Be patient. This requires patience. It took me half a year to make decent money. The first year, I made maybe $15,000 total. Year two, eighty grand. Year three, I'm making six figures. It's a process.
Stay connected to your purpose. On bad days—and there are many—remember why you're doing this. For me, it's independence, time with my children, and showing myself that I'm capable of anything.
The Honest Truth
Look, I'm telling the truth. Being a single mom creator is tough. Incredibly hard. You're running a whole business while being the single caregiver of children who require constant attention.
Some days I doubt myself. Days when the trolls affect me. Days when I'm drained and wondering if I should get a regular job with a 401k.
But but then my daughter says she loves that I'm home. Or I see financial progress. Or I receive a comment from a follower saying my content helped her leave an unhealthy relationship. And I understand the impact.
My Future Plans
Not long ago, I was lost and broke how to make it work. Today, I'm a content creator making triple what I earned in corporate America, and I'm there for my kids.
My goals for the future? Hit 500,000 followers by year-end. Start a podcast for solo parents. Possibly write a book. Expand this business that supports my family.
Content creation gave me a second chance when I was desperate. It gave me a way to feed my babies, be there, and create something meaningful. It's not what I planned, but it's exactly where I needed to be.
To every solo parent on the fence: You can. It will be hard. You'll want to quit some days. But you're currently doing the toughest gig—parenting solo. You're tougher than you realize.
Begin messy. Stay consistent. Prioritize yourself. And remember, you're more than just surviving—you're building something incredible.
Gotta go now, I need to go create content about why my kid's school project is due tomorrow and I just learned about it. Because that's the reality—chaos becomes content, one post at a time.
For real. Being a single mom creator? It's worth every struggle. Even when there's definitely Goldfish crackers in my keyboard. That's the dream, chaos and all.