I'm gonna be honest with you, mom life is a whole vibe. But here's the thing? Working to earn extra income while handling tiny humans who think sleep is optional.
I started my side hustle journey about a few years back when I had the epiphany that my impulse buys were way too frequent. I needed some independent income.
Virtual Assistant Hustle
So, I kicked things off was doing VA work. And real talk? It was chef's kiss. It let me work during naptime, and all I needed was my trusty MacBook and a prayer.
My first tasks were simple tasks like organizing inboxes, scheduling social media posts, and entering data. Pretty straightforward. I charged about $15-20 per hour, which felt cheap but for someone with zero experience, you gotta prove yourself first.
What cracked me up? I would be on a Zoom call looking like I had my life together from the waist up—looking corporate—while rocking sweatpants. Living my best life.
Selling on Etsy
After a year, I thought I'd test out the selling on Etsy. Literally everyone seemed to be on Etsy, so I figured "why not get in on this?"
I created designing downloadable organizers and digital art prints. The beauty of printables? Make it one time, and it can generate passive income forever. For real, I've gotten orders at ungodly hours.
That initial sale? I literally screamed. My partner was like I'd injured myself. Nope—I was just, cheering about my $4.99 sale. Judge me if you want.
The Content Creation Grind
After that I discovered creating content online. This one is a marathon not a sprint, let me tell you.
I launched a blog about motherhood where I wrote about what motherhood actually looks like—all of it, no filter. No Instagram-perfect nonsense. Only real talk about how I once found a chicken nugget in my bra.
Building up views was painfully slow. At the beginning, I was basically my only readers were my mom and two bots. But I persisted, and eventually, things gained momentum.
Now? I earn income through affiliate marketing, working with brands, and advertisements on my site. Last month I made over $2K from my blog income. Mind-blowing, right?
SMM Side Hustle
As I mastered social media for my own stuff, other businesses started inquiring if I could run their social media.
Real talk? Many companies don't understand social media. They know they need a presence, but they're clueless about the algorithm.
I swoop in. I currently run social media for three local businesses—a bakery, a boutique, and a fitness studio. I make posts, plan their posting schedule, interact with their audience, and track analytics.
They pay me between $500-$1500/month per account, depending on the scope of work. Here's what's great? I do this work from my phone.
Freelance Writing Life
For the wordy folks, freelancing is where it's at. Not like becoming Shakespeare—I'm talking about content writing for businesses.
Brands and websites constantly need fresh content. I've written articles about everything from literally everything under the sun. Being an expert isn't required, you just need to be good at research.
Usually earn fifty to one hundred fifty bucks per piece, depending on how complex it is. On good months I'll crank out 10-15 articles and earn $1-2K.
The funny thing is: Back in school I hated writing papers. And now I'm a professional writer. Life is weird.
Tutoring Online
When COVID hit, online tutoring exploded. I used to be a teacher, so this was perfect for me.
I started working with various tutoring services. It's super flexible, which is non-negotiable when you have unpredictable little ones.
I focus on elementary school stuff. The pay ranges from $15-25 per hour depending on the company.
The awkward part? Sometimes my kids will interrupt mid-session. I've had to be professional while chaos erupted behind me. Other parents are totally cool about it because they get it.
Reselling and Flipping
Here me out, this side gig started by accident. I was cleaning out my kids' room and tried selling some outfits on Facebook Marketplace.
Stuff sold out within hours. That's when I realized: one person's trash is another's treasure.
Now I visit anywhere with deals, on the hunt for things that will sell. I'll find something for $3 and sell it for $30.
Is it a lot of work? For sure. There's photographing, listing, and shipping. But I find it rewarding about finding hidden treasures at the thrift store and making profit.
Additionally: the kids think it's neat when I score cool vintage stuff. Last week I discovered a rare action figure that my son absolutely loved. Flipped it for forty-five bucks. Mom for the win.
The Truth About Side Hustles
Let me keep it real: this stuff requires effort. It's called hustling because you're hustling.
Some days when I'm completely drained, wondering why I'm doing this. I'm up at 5am working before my kids wake up, then doing all the mom stuff, then working again after 8pm hits.
But you know what? I earned this money. No permission needed to buy the fancy coffee. I'm contributing to the family budget. I'm showing my kids that women can hustle.
Tips if You're Starting Out
If you want to start a side gig, here's what I'd tell you:
Start with one thing. Avoid trying to juggle ten things. Pick one thing and nail it down before taking on more.
Be realistic about time. Whatever time you have, that's totally valid. A couple of productive hours is more than enough to start.
Avoid comparing yourself to Instagram moms. That mom with the six-figure side hustle? She probably started years ago and has help. Run your own race.
Don't be afraid to invest, but carefully. You don't need expensive courses. Don't waste huge money on programs until you've validated your idea.
Do similar tasks together. This changed everything. Dedicate days for specific hustles. Monday could be content creation day. Use Wednesday for handling business stuff.
The Mom Guilt is Real
I'm not gonna lie—guilt is part of this. Certain moments when I'm working and my kid wants attention, and I feel guilty.
Yet I remind myself that I'm teaching them work ethic. I'm showing my daughter that you can be both.
Additionally? Having my own income has made me a better mom. I'm more satisfied, which makes me more patient.
The Numbers
So what do I actually make? Generally, combining everything, I make $3K-5K. Some months are lower, others are slower.
Is this getting-rich money? No. 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 turn into something bigger.
Wrapping This Up
Listen, doing this mom hustle thing takes work. There's no one-size-fits-all approach. Many days I'm making it up as I go, powered by caffeine, and crossing my fingers.
But I don't regret it. Every dollar earned is validation of my effort. It shows that I'm a multifaceted person.
If you're on the fence about launching a mom business? Go for it. Start before it's perfect. Future you will be grateful.
And remember: You're not merely enduring—you're building something. Even though there's probably snack crumbs stuck to your laptop.
Not even kidding. The whole thing is the life, despite the chaos.
From Rock Bottom to Creator Success: My Journey as a Single Mom
Let me be real with you—becoming a single mom wasn't on my vision board. Neither was building a creator business. But yet here I am, three years later, earning income by sharing my life online while raising two kids basically solo. And real talk? It's been the most terrifying, empowering, and unexpected blessing of my life.
How It Started: When Everything Changed
It was 2022 when my marriage ended. I can still picture sitting in my new apartment (I kept the kids' stuff, he took everything else), staring at my phone at 2am while my kids slept. I had $847 in my account, little people counting on me, and a income that didn't cut it. The anxiety was crushing, y'all.
I'd been scrolling TikTok to numb the pain—because that's the move? when our lives are falling apart, right?—when I stumbled on this solo parent sharing how she paid off $30,000 in debt through posting online. I remember thinking, "She's lying or got lucky."
But rock bottom gives you courage. Or crazy. Probably both.
I downloaded the TikTok creator app the next morning. My first video? No filter, no makeup, pure chaos, venting about how I'd just used my last twelve bucks on a dinosaur nuggets and snacks for my kids' lunch boxes. I hit post and panicked. Who gives a damn about this disaster?
Apparently, way more people than I expected.
That video got nearly 50,000 views. Forty-seven thousand people watched me get emotional over frozen nuggets. The comments section was this validation fest—other single moms, folks in the trenches, all saying "I feel this." That was my turning point. People didn't want the highlight reel. They wanted raw.
Building My Platform: The Unfiltered Mom Content
Here's what they don't say about content creation: your niche matters. And my niche? I stumbled into it. I became the single mom who keeps it brutally honest.
I started filming the stuff people hide. Like how I wore the same leggings all week because I couldn't handle laundry. Or when I served cereal as a meal all week and called it "survival mode." Or that moment when my six-year-old asked about the divorce, and I had to discuss divorce to a kid who believes in magic.
My content wasn't pretty. My lighting was non-existent. I filmed on a phone with a broken screen. But it was authentic, and turns out, that's what hit.
Two months later, I hit 10,000 followers. 90 days in, 50,000. By six months, I'd crossed six figures. Each milestone seemed fake. People who wanted to know my story. Plain old me—a barely surviving single mom who had to ask Google what this meant recently.
The Actual Schedule: Content Creation Meets Real Life
Let me show you of my typical day, because being a single mom creator is the opposite of those curated "day in the life" videos you see.
5:30am: My alarm screams. I do not want to move, but this is my hustle hours. I make coffee that I'll microwave repeatedly, and I get to work. Sometimes it's a getting ready video discussing single mom finances. Sometimes it's me cooking while sharing co-parenting struggles. The lighting is whatever natural light comes through my kitchen window.
7:00am: Kids wake up. Content creation stops. Now I'm in full mom mode—cooking eggs, hunting for that one shoe (where do they go), prepping food, referee duties. The chaos is overwhelming.
8:30am: Carpool line. I'm that mom in the carpool line filming TikToks at stop signs. Not proud of this, but I gotta post.
9:00am-2:00pm: This is my hustle time. I'm alone finally. I'm editing videos, engaging with followers, thinking of ideas, doing outreach, looking at stats. They believe content creation is just posting videos. Nope. It's a real job.
I usually film in batches on Mondays and Wednesdays. That means shooting multiple videos in one session. I'll switch outfits so it seems like separate days. Hot tip: Keep several shirts ready for fast swaps. My neighbors think I've lost it, making videos in public in the driveway.
3:00pm: Getting the kids. Parent time. But this is where it's complicated—frequently my biggest hits come from the chaos. Recently, my daughter had a full tantrum in Target because I refused to get a expensive toy. I made content in the car afterward about surviving tantrums as a single parent. It got 2.3M views.
Evening: Dinner through bedtime. I'm typically drained to make videos, but I'll queue up posts, answer messages, or plan tomorrow's content. Some nights, after bedtime, I'll work late because a client needs content.
The truth? No such thing as balance. It's just managed chaos with moments of success.
The Money Talk: How I Generate Income
Look, let's talk numbers because this is what people ask about. Can you actually make money as a creator? Yes. Is it straightforward? Hell no.
My first month, I made nothing. Second month? Still nothing. Third month, I got my first collaboration—$150 to promote a food subscription. I broke down. That hundred fifty dollars bought groceries for two weeks.
Fast forward, years later, here's how I monetize:
Sponsored Content: This is my largest income stream. I work with brands that make sense—practical items, parenting tools, kids' stuff. I charge anywhere from five hundred to five thousand dollars per campaign, depending on deliverables. This past month, I did 4 sponsored posts and made eight grand.
TikTok Fund: TikTok's creator fund pays not much—a few hundred dollars per month for huge view counts. YouTube money is more lucrative. I make about $1,500/month from YouTube, but that required years.
Affiliate Links: I share affiliate links to items I love—everything from my favorite coffee maker to the kids' beds. If anyone buys, I get a cut. This brings in about $1K monthly.
Digital Products: I created a single mom budget planner and a cooking guide. $15 apiece, and I sell 50-100 per month. That's another $1-1.5K.
Teaching Others: New creators pay me to show them how. I offer 1:1 sessions for $200/hour. I do about 5-10 each month.
My total income: Typically, I'm making $10-15K per month at this point. Certain months are better, some are less. It's unpredictable, which is stressful when you're solo. But it's triple what I made at my old job, and I'm home when my kids need me.
The Hard Parts Nobody Shows You
From the outside it's great until you're sobbing alone because a video didn't perform, or handling hate comments from keyboard warriors.
The trolls are vicious. I've been called a bad mom, told I'm a bad influence, told I'm fake about being a solo parent. Someone once commented, "No wonder he left." That one hurt so bad.
The algorithm changes constantly. Certain periods you're getting millions of views. Then suddenly, you're struggling for views. Your income fluctuates. You're always on, always working, afraid to pause, you'll be forgotten.
The mom guilt is amplified to the extreme. Every video I post, I wonder: Am I sharing too much? Am I protecting my kids' privacy? Will they regret this when they're teenagers? I have strict rules—protected identities, no sharing their private stuff, no embarrassing content. But the line is blurry sometimes.
The burnout hits hard. There are weeks when I don't want to film anything. When I'm done, over it, and just done. But rent doesn't care. So I create anyway.
The Unexpected Blessings
But here's the thing—through it all, this journey has brought me things I never dreamed of.
Financial freedom for once the context here in my life. I'm not wealthy, but I eliminated my debt. I have an safety net. We took a actual vacation last summer—Disney World, which seemed impossible two years ago. I don't dread checking my balance anymore.
Time freedom that's priceless. When my son got sick last month, I didn't have to stress about missing work or stress about losing pay. I worked anywhere. When there's a field trip, I can go. I'm in their lives in ways I couldn't be with a normal job.
Support that saved me. The other influencers I've befriended, especially other single parents, have become actual friends. We connect, share strategies, encourage each other. My followers have become this incredible cheerleading squad. They cheer for me, support me, and show me I'm not alone.
Me beyond motherhood. For the first time since having kids, I have something that's mine. I'm not defined by divorce or somebody's mother. I'm a CEO. An influencer. Someone who made it happen.
Tips for Single Moms Wanting to Start
If you're a single mom considering content creation, here's what I wish someone had told me:
Start before you're ready. Your first videos will be terrible. Mine did. Everyone starts there. You learn by doing, not by waiting until everything is perfect.
Be yourself. People can tell when you're fake. Share your actual life—the messy, imperfect, chaotic reality. That's the magic.
Guard their privacy. Set limits. Know your limits. Their privacy is non-negotiable. I keep names private, minimize face content, and never discuss anything that could embarrass them.
Diversify income streams. Don't rely on just one platform or one income stream. The algorithm is fickle. Multiple streams = safety.
Batch your content. When you have quiet time, create multiple pieces. Future you will be grateful when you're burnt out.
Connect with followers. Respond to comments. Answer DMs. Create connections. Your community is crucial.
Track your time and ROI. Time is money. If something is time-intensive and gets nothing while another video takes 20 minutes and gets 200,000 views, pivot.
Self-care matters. You need to fill your cup. Take breaks. Create limits. Your health matters more than views.
This takes time. This isn't a get-rich-quick scheme. It took me months to make decent money. The first year, I made $15K total. Year 2, $80,000. Now, I'm hitting six figures. It's a long game.
Remember why you started. On difficult days—and there will be many—remember why you're doing this. For me, it's money, flexibility with my kids, and validating that I'm more than I believed.
The Honest Truth
Listen, I'm being honest. This life is hard. Like, really freaking hard. You're running a whole business while being the sole caretaker of demanding little people.
Some days I second-guess this. Days when the nasty comments affect me. Days when I'm exhausted and stressed and wondering if I should just get a "normal" job with insurance.
But and then my daughter tells me she's happy I'm here. Or I look at my savings. Or I read a message from a follower saying my content inspired her. And I know it's worth it.
The Future
Years ago, I was terrified and clueless what to do. Now, I'm a full-time content creator making way more than I made in corporate America, and I'm home when my kids get off the school bus.
My goals now? Get to half a million followers by end of year. Create a podcast for other single moms. Write a book eventually. Expand this business that makes everything possible.
Content creation gave me a path forward when I needed it most. It gave me a way to support my kids, show up, and accomplish something incredible. It's a surprise, but it's where I belong.
To every single mom out there wondering if you can do this: You absolutely can. It won't be easy. You'll want to quit some days. But you're handling the hardest job—raising humans alone. You're powerful.
Jump in messy. Keep showing up. Keep your boundaries. And remember, you're more than just surviving—you're building something incredible.
Time to go, I need to go create content about homework I forgot about and nobody told me until now. Because that's the reality—chaos becomes content, one post at a time.
No cap. This journey? It's worth every struggle. Despite there's probably old snacks in my keyboard. Dream life, mess included.