Let me tell you, being a mom is literally insane. But plot twist? Attempting to earn extra income while juggling kids, laundry, and approximately 47 snack requests per day.
I started my side hustle journey about several years ago when I discovered that my Target runs were reaching dangerous levels. I needed cash that was actually mine.
The Virtual Assistant Life
Okay so, my first gig was becoming a virtual assistant. And real talk? It was exactly what I needed. I was able to grind during those precious quiet hours, and the only requirement was my laptop and decent wifi.
Initially I was doing basic stuff like email sorting, managing social content, and basic admin work. Pretty straightforward. I started at about fifteen dollars an hour, which felt cheap but for someone with zero experience, you gotta build up your portfolio.
Here's what was wild? Picture this: me on a Zoom call looking completely put together from the shoulders up—looking corporate—while sporting sweatpants. That's the dream honestly.
Selling on Etsy
After a year, I decided to try the whole Etsy thing. All my mom friends seemed to have an Etsy shop, so I thought "why not start one too?"
I created designing printable planners and wall art. The beauty of printables? You create it once, and it can generate passive income forever. Genuinely, I've made sales at times when I didn't even know.
My first sale? I actually yelled. My husband thought something was wrong. Not even close—it was just me, doing a happy dance for my $4.99 sale. Judge me if you want.
The Content Creation Grind
Eventually I started writing and making content. This one is a marathon not a sprint, let me tell you.
I started a parenting blog where I wrote about the chaos of parenting—the messy truth. None of that Pinterest-perfect life. Just real talk about how I once found a chicken nugget in my bra.
Building traffic was a test of patience. The first few months, I was essentially creating content for crickets. But I stayed consistent, and eventually, things took off.
Currently? I make money through promoting products, brand partnerships, and display ads. Last month I earned over two thousand dollars from my website. Wild, right?
SMM Side Hustle
Once I got decent at managing my blog's social media, small companies started asking if I could run their social media.
Truth bomb? Most small businesses are terrible with social media. They realize they should be posting, but they can't keep up.
This is my moment. I oversee social media for a handful of clients—various small businesses. I make posts, plan their posting schedule, engage with followers, and monitor performance.
I bill between five hundred to fifteen hundred monthly per client, depending on what they need. The best thing? I do this work from my phone during soccer practice.
Writing for Money
For the wordy folks, writing gigs is a goldmine. I don't mean becoming Shakespeare—this is blog posts, articles, website copy, product descriptions.
Businesses everywhere constantly need fresh content. I've written articles about everything from literally everything under the sun. You don't need to be an expert, you just need to know how to Google effectively.
On average make $50-150 per article, depending on how complex it is. On good months I'll crank out fifteen articles and pull in an extra $1,000-2,000.
What's hilarious: I was that student who hated writing papers. These days I'm making money from copyright. Talk about character development.
Tutoring Online
2020 changed everything, virtual tutoring became huge. As a former educator, so this was right up my alley.
I joined VIPKid and Tutor.com. You choose when you work, which is crucial when you have tiny humans who throw curveballs daily.
My sessions are usually K-5 subjects. The pay ranges from $15-$25/hour depending on which site you use.
The awkward part? Sometimes my own kids will crash my tutoring session mid-session. I've literally had to be professional while chaos erupted behind me. Other parents are very sympathetic because they understand mom life.
The Reselling Game
Okay, this particular venture started by accident. I was decluttering my kids' closet and tried selling some outfits on copyright.
They sold immediately. Lightbulb moment: one person's trash is another's treasure.
At this point I frequent thrift stores, garage sales, and clearance sections, looking for good brands. I'll find something for $3 and sell it for $30.
It's labor-intensive? Not gonna lie. You're constantly listing and shipping. But it's oddly satisfying about spotting valuable items at a yard sale and turning a profit.
Additionally: the kids think it's neat when I bring home interesting finds. Recently I grabbed a collectible item that my son freaked out about. Flipped it for forty-five bucks. Victory for mom.
The Honest Reality
Here's the thing nobody tells you: side hustles take work. It's called hustling because you're hustling.
Certain days when I'm running on empty, wondering why I'm doing this. I wake up early being productive before the madness begins, then doing all the mom stuff, then more hustle time after everyone's in bed.
But here's the thing? This income is mine. I'm not asking anyone to splurge on something nice. I'm supporting our financial goals. I'm showing my kids that women can hustle.
Advice for New Mom Hustlers
If you want to start a side gig, here are my tips:
Don't go all in immediately. You can't juggle ten things. Choose one a simple overview hustle and get good at it before expanding.
Honor your limits. If naptime is your only free time, that's fine. Whatever time you can dedicate is better than nothing.
Don't compare yourself to other moms. The successful ones you see? They've been at it for years and has resources you don't see. Focus on your own journey.
Don't be afraid to invest, but strategically. There are tons of free resources. Be careful about spending huge money on programs until you've tried things out.
Do similar tasks together. I learned this the hard way. Set aside days for specific hustles. Monday could be creation day. Use Wednesday for handling business stuff.
Dealing with Mom Guilt
I'm not gonna lie—I struggle with guilt. Sometimes when I'm on my laptop and they want to play, and I struggle with it.
Yet I consider that I'm showing them that hard work matters. I'm demonstrating to my children that you can be both.
Also? Financial independence has helped me feel more like myself. I'm more satisfied, which helps me be better.
The Numbers
The real numbers? Generally, combining everything, I pull in $3K-5K. Some months are better, it fluctuates.
Is this millionaire money? Not exactly. But this money covers so many things we needed that would've stressed us out. Plus it's giving me confidence and skills that could become a full-time thing.
Wrapping This Up
Here's the bottom line, being a mom with a side hustle takes work. You won't find a secret sauce. Most days I'm flying by the seat of my pants, surviving on coffee, and hoping for the best.
But I'm proud of this journey. Every single penny made is proof that I can do hard things. It demonstrates that I'm not just someone's mother.
For anyone contemplating launching a mom business? Start now. Begin before you're ready. You in six months will appreciate it.
And remember: You're not just surviving—you're building something. Even though you probably have mysterious crumbs stuck to your laptop.
No cap. This mom hustle life is where it's at, mess included.
From Rock Bottom to Creator Success: My Journey as a Single Mom
Let me be real with you—becoming a single mom wasn't part of my five-year plan. Neither was making money from my phone. But fast forward to now, three years into this wild journey, supporting my family by creating content while parenting alone. And not gonna lie? It's been the most terrifying, empowering, and unexpected blessing of my life.
Rock Bottom: When Everything Came Crashing Down
It was three years ago when my divorce happened. I will never forget sitting in my mostly empty place (he got the furniture, I got the memories), wide awake at 2am while my kids were finally quiet. I had less than a thousand dollars in my account, two mouths to feed, and a income that didn't cut it. The stress was unbearable, y'all.
I was on TikTok to escape reality—because that's what we do? when everything is chaos, right?—when I found this divorced mom sharing how she became debt-free through content creation. I remember thinking, "No way that's legit."
But when you're desperate, you try anything. Or both. Sometimes both.
I grabbed the TikTok app the next morning. My first video? Completely unpolished, venting about how I'd just blown my final $12 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, way more people than I expected.
That video got 47K views. 47,000 people watched me nearly cry over $12 worth of food. The comments section became this incredible community—people who got it, folks in the trenches, all saying "I feel this." That was my lightbulb moment. People didn't want perfection. They wanted raw.
My Brand Evolution: The Hot Mess Single Mom Brand
Here's what nobody tells you about content creation: finding your niche is everything. And my niche? It happened organically. I became the unfiltered single mom.
I started posting about the stuff no one shows. Like how I lived in one outfit because laundry felt impossible. Or when I fed my kids cereal for dinner three nights in a row and called it "breakfast for dinner week." Or that moment when my kid asked where daddy went, and I had to discuss divorce to a kid who thinks the tooth fairy is real.
My content was raw. My lighting was terrible. I filmed on a ancient iPhone. But it was real, and evidently, that's what worked.
Two months later, I hit 10,000 followers. Month three, 50,000. By six months, I'd crossed a hundred thousand. Each milestone felt surreal. Actual humans who wanted to follow me. Me—a broke single mom who had to learn everything from scratch not long ago.
My Daily Reality: Content Creation Meets Real Life
Let me paint you a picture of my typical day, because being a single mom creator is totally different from those pretty "day in the life" videos you see.
5:30am: My alarm screams. I do want to throw my phone, but this is my sacred content creation time. I make coffee that I'll forget about, and I start recording. Sometimes it's a getting ready video discussing single mom finances. Sometimes it's me meal prepping while venting about co-parenting struggles. The lighting is not great.
7:00am: Kids wake up. Content creation stops. Now I'm in full mom mode—making breakfast, the shoe hunt (why is it always one shoe), packing lunches, mediating arguments. The chaos is next level.
8:30am: Drop off time. I'm that mom filming at red lights when stopped. Not my proudest moment, but bills don't care.
9:00am-2:00pm: This is my productive time. Kids are at school. I'm in editing mode, being social, planning content, pitching brands, looking at stats. Folks imagine content creation is just posting videos. Absolutely not. It's a real job.
I usually batch content on certain days. That means shooting multiple videos in one session. I'll change shirts between videos so it appears to be different times. Advice: Keep multiple tops nearby for quick changes. My neighbors definitely think I'm crazy, recording myself alone in the driveway.
3:00pm: Pickup time. Parent time. But this is where it's complicated—many times my top performing content come from the chaos. A few days ago, my daughter had a full tantrum in Target because I said no to a toy she didn't need. I created a video in the parking lot after about managing big emotions as a solo parent. It got 2.3 million views.
Evening: Dinner, homework, bath time, bedtime routines. I'm usually too exhausted to film, but I'll queue up posts, reply to messages, or outline content. Many nights, after everyone's sleeping, I'll stay up editing because a partnership is due.
The truth? Balance doesn't exist. It's just controlled chaos with occasional wins.
The Money Talk: How I Generate Income
Alright, let's talk numbers because this is what you're wondering. Can you actually make money as a content creator? Yes. Is it simple? Nope.
My first month, I made $0. Month two? $0. Month three, I got my first paid partnership—a hundred and fifty bucks to post about a meal box. I broke down. That $150 paid for groceries.
Fast forward, years later, here's how I generate revenue:
Collaborations: This is my largest income stream. I work with brands that make sense—affordable stuff, mom products, kid essentials. I charge anywhere from five hundred to five thousand dollars per campaign, depending on what they need. Just last month, I did four brand deals and made $8K.
Ad Money: Creator fund pays very little—maybe $200-400 per month for millions of views. YouTube revenue is more lucrative. I make about $1,500 monthly from YouTube, but that took forever.
Affiliate Marketing: I promote products to products I actually use—ranging from my beloved coffee maker to the beds my kids use. If they buy using my link, I get a kickback. This brings in about eight hundred to twelve hundred.
Online Products: I created a single mom budget planner and a meal prep guide. They sell for fifteen dollars, and I sell maybe 50-100 per month. That's another $1,000-1,500.
Teaching Others: People wanting to start pay me to guide them. I offer 1:1 sessions for $200 hourly. I do about five to ten of these monthly.
Combined monthly revenue: Most months, I'm making ten to fifteen thousand per month now. Some months I make more, some are less. It's unpredictable, which is scary when there's no backup. But it's triple what I made at my 9-5, and I'm there for them.
What They Don't Show Nobody Talks About
This sounds easy until you're having a breakdown because a post tanked, or reading cruel messages from keyboard warriors.
The hate comments are real. I've been mom-shamed, told I'm problematic, called a liar about being a single mom. One person said, "No wonder he left." That one stuck with me.
The algorithm is unpredictable. One month you're getting millions of views. The next, you're barely hitting 1K. Your income varies wildly. You're always on, always "on", nervous about slowing down, you'll be forgotten.
The mom guilt is worse exponentially. Everything I share, I wonder: Is this appropriate? Am I protecting my kids' privacy? Will they be angry about this when they're adults? I have non-negotiables—minimal identifying info, nothing too personal, nothing humiliating. But the line is hard to see.
The exhaustion is real. Some weeks when I can't create. When I'm done, talked out, and totally spent. But life doesn't stop. So I show up anyway.
The Beautiful Parts
But the truth is—despite the hard parts, this journey has created things I never imagined.
Financial stability for the first time in my life. I'm not rich, but I cleared $18K. I have an cushion. We took a vacation last summer—the Mouse House, which seemed impossible two years ago. I don't dread checking my balance anymore.
Time freedom that's priceless. When my boy was sick last month, I didn't have to use PTO or stress about losing pay. I worked anywhere. When there's a school thing, I'm there. I'm present in my kids' lives in ways I couldn't manage with a traditional 9-5.
My people that saved me. The other influencers I've connected with, especially single moms, have become true friends. We talk, help each other, have each other's backs. My followers have become this beautiful community. They cheer for me, support me, and remind me I'm not alone.
Identity beyond "mom". Finally, I have my own thing. I'm not defined by divorce or someone's mom. I'm a entrepreneur. A businesswoman. Someone who made it happen.
My Best Tips
If you're a solo parent considering content creation, listen up:
Don't wait. Your first videos will suck. Mine did. That's normal. You learn by doing, not by overthinking.
Be yourself. People can spot fake. Share your true life—the messy, imperfect, chaotic reality. That's what connects.
Protect your kids. Set limits. Be intentional. Their privacy is non-negotiable. I keep names private, protect their faces, and keep private things private.
Multiple revenue sources. Don't rely on just one platform or one way to earn. The algorithm is unpredictable. Multiple streams = safety.
Batch create content. When you have available time, record several. Next week you will appreciate it when you're burnt out.
Connect with followers. Respond to comments. Answer DMs. Connect authentically. Your community is everything.
Monitor what works. Some content isn't worth it. If something is time-intensive and tanks while something else takes 20 minutes and blows up, shift focus.
Prioritize yourself. You matter too. Take breaks. Create limits. Your mental health matters more than anything.
This takes time. This takes time. It took me ages to make decent money. My first year, I made barely $15,000. Year 2, eighty thousand. This year, I'm on track for six figures. It's a journey.
Remember why you started. On difficult days—and there will be many—remember why you're doing this. For me, it's independence, being there, and demonstrating that I'm stronger than I knew.
The Reality Check
Listen, I'm not going to sugarcoat this. Being a single mom creator is difficult. Like, really freaking hard. You're operating a business while being the single caregiver of tiny humans who need you constantly.
Certain days I wonder what I'm doing. Days when the hate comments sting. Days when I'm burnt out and questioning if I should get a regular job with benefits and a steady paycheck.
But then suddenly my daughter tells me she's proud that I work from home. Or I check my balance and see money. Or I receive a comment from a follower saying my content helped her leave an unhealthy relationship. And I know it's worth it.
Where I'm Going From Here
Three years ago, I was scared and struggling what to do. Currently, I'm a professional creator making more than I imagined in corporate America, and I'm there for my kids.
My goals for the future? Get to half a million followers by year-end. Begin podcasting for solo parents. Write a book eventually. Keep growing this business that changed my life.
This path gave me a second chance when I had nothing. It gave me a way to feed my babies, be available, and build something I'm genuinely proud of. It's unexpected, but it's meant to be.
To any single parent considering this: Yes you can. It won't be easy. You'll want to quit some days. But you're currently doing the hardest job in the world—doing this alone. You're stronger than you think.
Start imperfect. Stay the course. Prioritize yourself. And don't forget, you're more than just surviving—you're building something incredible.
BRB, I need to go film a TikTok about homework I forgot about and surprise!. Because that's the reality—chaos becomes content, one post at a time.
For real. This journey? It's the best decision. Even if I'm sure there's crushed cheerios in my keyboard. That's the dream, imperfectly perfect.