Let me spill, mom life is a whole vibe. But you know what's even crazier? Trying to secure the bag while juggling kids, laundry, and approximately 47 snack requests per day.
I entered the side gig world about three years ago when I had the epiphany that my impulse buys were getting out of hand. I had to find funds I didn't have to justify spending.
Virtual Assistant Hustle
Here's what happened, my first gig was jumping into virtual assistance. And honestly? It was ideal. I was able to hustle while the kids slept, and literally all it took was my trusty MacBook and a prayer.
I started with basic stuff like email sorting, managing social content, and entering data. Not rocket science. I charged about $20/hour, which felt cheap but when you're just starting, you gotta start somewhere.
Honestly the most hilarious thing? I'd be on a client call looking like a real businesswoman from the chest up—business casual vibes—while rocking my rattiest leggings. Main character energy.
The Etsy Shop Adventure
Once I got comfortable, I wanted to explore the Etsy world. Every mom I knew seemed to have an Etsy shop, so I was like "why not me?"
I started making PDF planners and digital art prints. The beauty of printables? Make it one time, and it can sell forever. For real, I've gotten orders at midnight when I'm unconscious.
My first sale? I lost my mind. My husband thought the house was on fire. Nope—I was just, doing a happy dance for my $4.99 sale. Don't judge me.
The Content Creation Grind
Eventually I started writing and making content. This hustle is a marathon not a sprint, real talk.
I launched a parenting blog where I wrote about real mom life—the good, the bad, and the ugly. Keeping it real. Just authentic experiences about the time my kid decorated the walls with Nutella.
Getting readers was painfully slow. The first few months, I was essentially get more info creating content for crickets. But I stayed consistent, and eventually, things gained momentum.
Currently? I earn income through promoting products, collaborations, and display ads. Recently I brought in over two thousand dollars from my blog alone. Crazy, right?
Managing Social Media
When I became good with my own content, other businesses started inquiring if I could manage their accounts.
Here's the thing? A lot of local businesses struggle with social media. They realize they have to be on it, but they can't keep up.
I swoop in. I now manage social media for several small companies—various small businesses. I make posts, schedule posts, engage with followers, and check their stats.
My rate is between $500-1500 per month per client, depending on what they need. Best part? I manage everything from my phone.
Freelance Writing Life
For those who can string sentences together, freelance writing is where it's at. I'm not talking writing the next Great American Novel—I'm talking about blog posts, articles, website copy, product descriptions.
Businesses everywhere always need writers. My assignments have included everything from dental hygiene to copyright. Being an expert isn't required, you just need to be good at research.
Generally charge $50-150 per article, depending on what's involved. Certain months I'll crank out ten to fifteen pieces and make a couple thousand dollars.
Here's what's wild: I was that student who struggled with essays. Currently I'm getting paid for it. Life's funny like that.
The Online Tutoring Thing
After lockdown started, tutoring went digital. As a former educator, so this was perfect for me.
I joined several tutoring platforms. You make your own schedule, which is essential when you have kids with unpredictable schedules.
I focus on elementary school stuff. Income ranges from $15-$25/hour depending on the company.
The funny thing? Sometimes my children will photobomb my lessons mid-session. I've literally had to maintain composure during complete chaos in the background. The parents on the other end are very sympathetic because they understand mom life.
The Reselling Game
So, this particular venture happened accidentally. I was cleaning out my kids' closet and listed some clothes on various apps.
Stuff sold out so fast. I suddenly understood: people will buy anything.
Currently I visit anywhere with deals, searching for good brands. I'll find something for a few dollars and make serious profit.
Is it a lot of work? Yes. You're constantly listing and shipping. But I find it rewarding about spotting valuable items at Goodwill and making money.
Bonus: my kids are impressed when I score cool vintage stuff. Just last week I found a collectible item that my son absolutely loved. Made $45 on it. Victory for mom.
The Truth About Side Hustles
Here's the thing nobody tells you: side hustles take work. It's called hustling because you're hustling.
There are moments when I'm completely drained, asking myself what I'm doing. I wake up early hustling before the chaos starts, then doing all the mom stuff, then more hustle time after 8pm hits.
But here's what matters? This income is mine. I don't have to ask permission to buy the fancy coffee. I'm contributing to our household income. My kids are learning that moms can do anything.
Advice for New Mom Hustlers
For those contemplating a hustle of your own, here's my advice:
Start small. Don't try to launch everything simultaneously. Pick one thing and get good at it before taking on more.
Work with your schedule. If naptime is your only free time, that's fine. Two hours of focused work is a great beginning.
Stop comparing to what you see online. Those people with massive success? She's been grinding forever and has support. Focus on your own journey.
Spend money on education, but smartly. Start with free stuff first. Don't spend huge money on programs until you've tried things out.
Batch tasks together. I learned this the hard way. Dedicate time blocks for different things. Monday might be creation day. Use Wednesday for admin and emails.
Dealing with Mom Guilt
I have to be real with you—mom guilt is a thing. There are days when I'm focused on work while my kids need me, and I hate it.
But I think about that I'm demonstrating to them work ethic. I'm teaching my kids that moms can have businesses.
And honestly? Earning independently has made me a better mom. I'm more fulfilled, which makes me more patient.
Let's Talk Money
How much do I earn? Typically, combining everything, I pull in $3,000-5,000 per month. Certain months are higher, some are tougher.
Is it life-changing money? Not exactly. But it's paid for stuff that matters to us that would've caused financial strain. It's building my skills and knowledge that could evolve into something huge.
Wrapping This Up
Here's the bottom line, hustling as a mom isn't easy. There's no magic formula. A lot of days I'm improvising everything, fueled by espresso and stubbornness, and hoping for the best.
But I wouldn't change it. Every dollar earned is proof that I can do hard things. It's proof that I'm a multifaceted person.
So if you're considering beginning your hustle journey? Take the leap. Start messy. Your future self will be grateful.
And remember: You're not just making it through—you're growing something incredible. Even though you probably have mysterious crumbs on your keyboard.
Seriously. This is where it's at, complete with all the chaos.
My Content Creator Journey: My Journey as a Single Mom
I'm gonna be honest—being a single parent wasn't on my vision board. Nor was becoming a content creator. But fast forward to now, three years into this wild journey, paying bills by being vulnerable on the internet while doing this mom thing solo. And I'll be real? It's been life-changing in every way of my life.
The Starting Point: When Everything Fell Apart
It was three years ago when my divorce happened. I can still picture sitting in my new apartment (he got the furniture, I got the memories), scrolling mindlessly at 2am while my kids were passed out. I had eight hundred forty-seven dollars in my checking account, two mouths to feed, and a paycheck that wasn't enough. The fear was overwhelming, y'all.
I'd been scrolling TikTok to avoid my thoughts—because that's what we do? when we're drowning, right?—when I found this single mom talking about how she made six figures through posting online. I remember thinking, "She's lying or got lucky."
But desperation makes you brave. Or both. Sometimes both.
I grabbed the TikTok studio app the next morning. My first video? Raw, unfiltered, messy hair, venting about how I'd just put my last twelve dollars on a frozen nuggets and juice boxes for my kids' lunches. I posted it and immediately regretted it. Who gives a damn about this disaster?
Turns out, tons of people.
That video got 47,000 views. 47,000 people watched me almost lose it over chicken nuggets. The comments section turned into this safe space—other single moms, folks in the trenches, all saying "I feel this." That was my aha moment. People didn't want filtered content. They wanted authentic.
Building My Platform: The Honest Single Parent Platform
The truth is about content creation: niche is crucial. And my niche? I stumbled into it. I became the unfiltered single mom.
I started posting about the stuff nobody talks about. Like how I wore the same leggings all week because washing clothes was too much. Or when I let them eat Lucky Charms for dinner several days straight and called it "creative meal planning." Or that moment when my child asked about the divorce, and I had to explain adult stuff to a kid who still believes in Santa.
My content wasn't polished. My lighting was non-existent. I filmed on a ancient iPhone. But it was honest, and apparently, that's what connected.
In just two months, I hit 10K. Three months later, 50,000. By month six, I'd crossed 100K. Each milestone felt impossible. Real accounts who wanted to know my story. Little old me—a broke single mom who had to ask Google what this meant months before.
The Daily Grind: Content Creation Meets Real Life
Let me paint you a picture of my typical day, because being a single mom creator is nothing like those aesthetic "day in the life" videos you see.
5:30am: My alarm screams. I do NOT want to get up, but this is my work time. I make coffee that will get cold, and I begin creating. Sometimes it's a GRWM sharing about single mom finances. Sometimes it's me meal prepping while sharing parenting coordination. The lighting is not great.
7:00am: Kids get up. Content creation stops. Now I'm in survival mode—pouring cereal, locating lost items (where do they go), prepping food, mediating arguments. The chaos is overwhelming.
8:30am: Getting them to school. I'm that mom filming at red lights at red lights. I know, I know, but bills don't care.
9:00am-2:00pm: This is my hustle time. Kids are at school. I'm editing content, responding to comments, ideating, doing outreach, analyzing metrics. They believe content creation is just making TikToks. Wrong. It's a full business.
I usually create multiple videos on Mondays and Wednesdays. That means filming 10-15 videos in one go. I'll swap tops so it looks varied. Hot tip: Keep different outfits accessible for outfit changes. My neighbors probably think I'm unhinged, recording myself alone in the driveway.
3:00pm: Picking them up. Mom mode activated. But plot twist—frequently my best content ideas come from these after-school moments. Last week, my daughter had a complete meltdown in Target because I wouldn't buy a $40 toy. I recorded in the Target parking lot later about dealing with meltdowns as a lone parent. It got 2.3 million views.
Evening: All the evening things. I'm completely exhausted to film, but I'll schedule content, respond to DMs, or outline content. Many nights, after the kids are asleep, I'll work late because a client needs content.
The truth? There's no balance. It's just controlled chaos with moments of success.
Income Breakdown: How I Actually Make a Living
Look, let's talk dollars because this is what people ask about. Can you really earn income as a influencer? Yes. Is it easy? Hell no.
My first month, I made zero dollars. Month two? Also nothing. Month three, I got my first paid partnership—one hundred fifty dollars to share a meal delivery. I literally cried. That $150 paid for groceries.
Fast forward, three years in, here's how I generate revenue:
Brand Deals: This is my primary income. I work with brands that make sense—things that help, helpful services, kid essentials. I bill anywhere from five hundred to several thousand per collaboration, depending on deliverables. Just last month, I did four brand deals and made eight thousand dollars.
Platform Payments: TikTok's creator fund pays basically nothing—two to four hundred per month for massive numbers. AdSense is way better. I make about $1.5K monthly from YouTube, but that was a long process.
Affiliate Links: I share affiliate links to stuff I really use—everything from my favorite coffee maker to the bunk beds in their room. If someone purchases through my link, I get a kickback. This brings in about $800-1,200 monthly.
Digital Products: I created a financial planner and a cooking guide. Each costs $15, and I sell fifty to a hundred per month. That's another thousand to fifteen hundred.
Teaching Others: People wanting to start pay me to guide them. I offer consulting calls for two hundred per hour. I do about 5-10 per month.
Combined monthly revenue: On average, I'm making $10,000-15,000 per month now. Some months I make more, some are lower. It's variable, which is scary when you're it. But it's three times what I made at my old job, and I'm available for my kids.
What They Don't Show Nobody Shows You
It looks perfect online until you're sobbing alone because a video flopped, or handling nasty DMs from strangers who think they know your life.
The negativity is intense. I've been told I'm a terrible parent, told I'm using my children, questioned about being a solo parent. One person said, "I'd leave too." That one stuck with me.
The algorithm is unpredictable. One month you're getting huge numbers. The following week, you're barely hitting 1K. Your income fluctuates. You're always on, 24/7, nervous about slowing down, you'll lose momentum.
The guilt is crushing times a thousand. Every video I post, I wonder: Am I oversharing? Am I doing right by them? Will they resent this when they're older? I have strict rules—no faces of my kids without permission, no sharing their private stuff, protecting their dignity. But the line is hard to see.
The burnout is real. There are weeks when I have nothing. When I'm touched out, socially drained, and just done. But rent doesn't care. So I show up anyway.
The Wins
But listen—even with the struggles, this journey has blessed me with things I never anticipated.
Financial freedom for the first damn time. I'm not loaded, but I paid off $18,000 in debt. I have an safety net. We took a vacation last summer—Orlando, which felt impossible two years ago. 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 call in to work or panic. I handled business at urgent care. When there's a class party, I'm present. I'm in their lives in ways I couldn't be with a traditional 9-5.
Support that saved me. The fellow creators I've connected with, especially other moms, have become actual friends. We vent, share strategies, support each other. My followers have become this amazing support system. They hype me up, lift me up, and show me I'm not alone.
Me beyond motherhood. After years, I have my own thing. I'm not just someone's ex-wife or someone's mom. I'm a entrepreneur. An influencer. Someone who made it happen.
Tips for Single Moms Wanting to Start
If you're a single parent wanting to start, listen up:
Begin now. Your first videos will suck. Mine did. That's okay. You grow through creating, not by overthinking.
Keep it real. People can spot fake. Share your actual life—the messy, imperfect, chaotic reality. That's what works.
Guard their privacy. Set boundaries early. Be intentional. Their privacy is everything. I keep names private, limit face shots, and never discuss anything that could embarrass them.
Diversify income streams. Diversify or one way to earn. The algorithm is fickle. Diversification = security.
Batch your content. When you have available time, make a bunch. Next week you will thank yourself when you're too exhausted to create.
Engage with your audience. Answer comments. Check messages. Create connections. Your community is crucial.
Track metrics. Not all content is worth creating. If something takes four hours and flops while another video takes minutes and goes viral, adjust your strategy.
Self-care matters. You need to fill your cup. Unplug. Set boundaries. Your mental health matters more than going viral.
Be patient. This is a marathon. It took me eight months to make any real money. The first year, I made $15K total. Year 2, eighty grand. Now, I'm projected for $100K+. It's a journey.
Don't forget your why. On difficult days—and there will be many—think about your why. For me, it's financial freedom, flexibility with my kids, and showing myself that I'm more than I believed.
The Honest Truth
Real talk, I'm telling the truth. This journey is tough. Like, really freaking hard. You're basically running a business while being the sole caretaker of demanding little people.
There are days I wonder what I'm doing. Days when the trolls affect me. Days when I'm exhausted and stressed and wondering if I should just get a "normal" job with a 401k.
But and then my daughter mentions she appreciates this. Or I see financial progress. Or I get a DM from a follower saying my content helped her leave an unhealthy relationship. And I understand the impact.
What's Next
Three years ago, I was lost and broke how to make it work. Fast forward, I'm a professional creator making triple what I earned in my old job, and I'm home when my kids get off the school bus.
My goals now? Get to half a million followers by year-end. Launch a podcast for solo parents. Write a book eventually. Expand this business that supports my family.
This path gave me a lifeline when I needed it most. It gave me a way to provide for my family, be available, and build something I'm genuinely proud of. It's unexpected, but it's meant to be.
To all the single moms considering this: Yes you can. It will be challenging. You'll doubt yourself. But you're already doing the toughest gig—parenting solo. You're tougher than you realize.
Start messy. Stay the course. Prioritize yourself. And remember, you're beyond survival mode—you're creating something amazing.
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go record a video about another last-minute project and I just learned about it. Because that's this life—turning chaos into content, one post at a time.
Honestly. This life? It's the best decision. Even though there's probably old snacks stuck to my laptop right now. No regrets, mess included.