Let me spill, being a mom is no joke. But here's the thing? Trying to make some extra cash while managing tiny humans who think sleep is optional.
My hustle life began about several years ago when I figured out that my retail therapy sessions were getting out of hand. I had to find my own money.
Virtual Assistant Hustle
Okay so, my first gig was becoming a virtual assistant. And not gonna lie? It was chef's kiss. It let me grind during those precious quiet hours, and literally all it took was a computer and internet.
I started with basic stuff like organizing inboxes, scheduling social media posts, and data entry. Nothing fancy. I charged about $20/hour, which seemed low but as a total beginner, you gotta begin at the bottom.
Here's what was wild? Picture this: me on a client call looking like I had my life together from the chest up—looking corporate—while wearing pajama bottoms. Main character energy.
The Etsy Shop Adventure
Once I got comfortable, I wanted to explore the selling on Etsy. Literally everyone seemed to be on Etsy, so I figured "why not get in on this?"
I created crafting digital planners and wall art. The thing about selling digital stuff? One and done creation, and it can make money while you sleep. For real, I've made sales at times when I didn't even know.
When I got my first order? I freaked out completely. He came running thinking there was an emergency. But no—just me, celebrating my five dollar sale. No shame in my game.
Blogging and Creating
Eventually I started writing and making content. This hustle is definitely a slow burn, I'm not gonna sugarcoat it.
I began a mom blog where I posted about real mom life—everything unfiltered. None of that Pinterest-perfect life. Just real talk about finding mystery stains on everything I own.
Getting readers was like watching paint dry. For months, I was essentially talking to myself. But I stayed consistent, and eventually, things started clicking.
These days? I earn income through affiliate links, collaborations, and advertisements on my site. Just last month I made over $2,000 from my website. Wild, right?
The Social Media Management Game
Once I got decent at managing my blog's social media, other businesses started inquiring if I could manage their accounts.
Truth bomb? Tons of businesses don't understand social media. They understand they need a presence, but they're clueless about the algorithm.
I swoop in. I now manage social media for three local businesses—various small businesses. I make posts, schedule posts, interact with their audience, and monitor performance.
They pay me between $500-1500 per month per business, depending on what they need. Best part? I handle this from my phone.
The Freelance Writing Hustle
If you can write, freelance writing is a goldmine. Not like becoming Shakespeare—I'm talking about blog posts, articles, website copy, product descriptions.
Brands and websites are desperate for content. My assignments have included everything from subjects I knew nothing about the post mentioned before Googling. You don't need to be an expert, you just need to be able to learn quickly.
On average earn between fifty and two hundred per article, depending on what's involved. When I'm hustling hard I'll produce a dozen articles and make an extra $1,000-2,000.
Plot twist: I was that student who struggled with essays. And now I'm making money from copyright. Talk about character development.
Virtual Tutoring
When COVID hit, virtual tutoring became huge. As a former educator, so this was an obvious choice.
I started working with a couple of online tutoring sites. The scheduling is flexible, which is absolutely necessary when you have kids with unpredictable schedules.
I focus on K-5 subjects. The pay ranges from $15-$25/hour depending on the platform.
The funny thing? There are times when my children will interrupt mid-session. There was a time I educate someone's child while mine had a meltdown. The families I work with are usually super understanding because they understand mom life.
Flipping Items for Profit
Here me out, this one happened accidentally. I was decluttering my kids' things and posted some items on Facebook Marketplace.
Stuff sold out instantly. I suddenly understood: one person's trash is another's treasure.
Currently I visit secondhand stores and sales, on the hunt for things that will sell. I purchase something for a few dollars and make serious profit.
It's labor-intensive? Not gonna lie. There's photographing, listing, and shipping. But there's something satisfying about spotting valuable items at Goodwill and making profit.
Additionally: my children are fascinated when I bring home interesting finds. Recently I grabbed a retro toy that my son absolutely loved. Made $45 on it. Score one for mom.
The Truth About Side Hustles
Truth bomb incoming: side hustles aren't passive income. The word 'hustle' is there for a reason.
There are moments when I'm exhausted, questioning my life choices. I wake up early getting stuff done while it's quiet, then doing all the mom stuff, then back to work after bedtime.
But this is what's real? That money is MINE. No permission needed to treat myself. I'm contributing to our household income. My kids are learning that you can be both.
What I Wish I Knew
For those contemplating a side hustle, this is what I've learned:
Don't go all in immediately. Avoid trying to juggle ten things. Focus on one and master it before adding more.
Honor your limits. Your available hours, that's fine. Two hours of focused work is more than enough to start.
Stop comparing to the highlight reels. Those people with massive success? 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 carefully. You don't need expensive courses. Avoid dropping massive amounts on training until you've tried things out.
Do similar tasks together. This changed everything. Use specific days for specific tasks. Use Monday for making stuff day. Wednesday could be administrative work.
The Mom Guilt is Real
I'm not gonna lie—the mom guilt is real. Sometimes when I'm focused on work while my kids need me, and I feel guilty.
But then I remind myself that I'm modeling for them work ethic. I'm demonstrating to my children that motherhood doesn't mean giving up your identity.
Plus? Making my own money has helped me feel more like myself. I'm more fulfilled, which translates to better parenting.
The Numbers
The real numbers? Most months, between all my hustles, I make three to five thousand monthly. It varies, it fluctuates.
Is this getting-rich money? Nope. But this money covers stuff that matters to us that would've caused financial strain. It's building my skills and experience that could turn into something bigger.
In Conclusion
At the end of the day, combining motherhood and entrepreneurship is hard. There's no such thing as a magic formula. Many days I'm flying by the seat of my pants, powered by caffeine, and praying it all works out.
But I wouldn't change it. Every single dollar earned is a testament to my hustle. It's evidence that I'm a multifaceted person.
So if you're considering diving into this? Do it. Don't wait for perfect. You in six months will be so glad you did.
Don't forget: You're not just getting by—you're hustling. Even if there's probably old cheerios everywhere.
Not even kidding. The whole thing is where it's at, chaos and all.
From Survival Mode to Content Creator: My Journey as a Single Mom
Real talk—becoming a single mom wasn't part of my five-year plan. Nor was turning into an influencer. But here I am, three years into this wild journey, paying bills by creating content while handling everything by myself. And honestly? It's been the best worst decision of my life.
The Beginning: When Everything Imploded
It was 2022 when my relationship fell apart. I can still picture sitting in my bare apartment (I kept the kids' stuff, he took everything else), wide awake at 2am while my kids were asleep. I had less than a thousand dollars in my account, two mouths to feed, and a salary that was a joke. The anxiety was crushing, y'all.
I'd been mindlessly scrolling to avoid my thoughts—because that's self-care at 2am, right? when everything is chaos, right?—when I stumbled on this single mom sharing how she made six figures through making videos. I remember thinking, "No way that's legit."
But being broke makes you bold. Or both. Usually both.
I downloaded the TikTok studio app the next morning. My first video? Raw, unfiltered, messy hair, talking about how I'd just put my last twelve dollars on a frozen nuggets and juice boxes for my kids' lunches. I hit post and panicked. Who wants to watch this disaster?
Plot twist, a lot of people.
That video got 47K views. Forty-seven thousand people watched me breakdown over processed meat. The comments section became this unexpected source of support—other single moms, people living the same reality, all saying "I feel this." That was my turning point. People didn't want perfection. They wanted raw.
Finding My Niche: The Unfiltered Mom Content
Here's the secret about content creation: your niche matters. And my niche? It happened organically. I became the single mom who keeps it brutally honest.
I started posting about the stuff everyone keeps private. Like how I wore the same leggings all week because executive dysfunction is real. Or when I let them eat Lucky Charms for dinner several days straight and called it "survival mode." Or that moment when my kid asked about the divorce, and I had to explain adult stuff to a kid who is six years old.
My content was rough. My lighting was non-existent. I filmed on a phone with a broken screen. But it was unfiltered, and evidently, that's what connected.
Within two months, I hit ten thousand followers. Three months later, fifty thousand. By month six, I'd crossed six figures. Each milestone seemed fake. People who wanted to listen to me. Plain old me—a financially unstable single mom who had to learn everything from scratch recently.
A Day in the Life: Balancing Content and Chaos
Let me show you of my typical day, because creating content solo is totally different from those perfect "day in the life" videos you see.
5:30am: My alarm blares. I do NOT want to get up, but this is my hustle hours. I make coffee that I'll reheat three times, and I start filming. Sometimes it's a getting ready video talking about financial reality. Sometimes it's me cooking while sharing dealing with my ex. The lighting is whatever I can get.
7:00am: Kids get up. Content creation ends. Now I'm in survival mode—feeding humans, hunting for that one shoe (where do they go), throwing food in bags, mediating arguments. The chaos is intense.
8:30am: School drop-off. I'm that mom in the carpool line filming TikToks at red lights. Don't judge me, but I gotta post.
9:00am-2:00pm: This is my work block. I'm alone finally. I'm editing content, responding to comments, brainstorming content ideas, doing outreach, checking analytics. People think content creation is only filming. Absolutely not. 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 appears to be different times. Life hack: Keep wardrobe options close for easy transitions. My neighbors must think I'm insane, talking to my camera in the parking lot.
3:00pm: Getting the kids. Transition back to mom mode. But this is where it's complicated—frequently my top performing content come from this time. Recently, my daughter had a complete meltdown in Target because I said no to a toy she didn't need. I created a video in the parking lot later about handling public tantrums as a single mom. It got millions of views.
Evening: All the evening things. I'm completely exhausted to create anything, but I'll schedule uploads, respond to DMs, or prep for tomorrow. Often, after they're down, I'll stay up editing because a partnership is due.
The truth? There's no balance. It's just managed chaos with occasional wins.
Let's Talk Income: How I Actually Make a Living
Okay, let's talk dollars because this is what everyone wants to know. Can you legitimately profit as a content creator? Absolutely. Is it straightforward? Hell no.
My first month, I made zero dollars. Month two? Zero. Third month, I got my first sponsored post—one hundred fifty dollars to promote a food subscription. I broke down. That $150 paid for groceries.
Fast forward, years later, here's how I make money:
Brand Deals: This is my biggest income source. I work with brands that fit my niche—affordable stuff, mom products, kid essentials. I get paid anywhere from five hundred to five thousand dollars per deal, depending on deliverables. This past month, I did four partnerships and made $8,000.
TikTok Fund: Creator fund pays very little—maybe $200-400 per month for massive numbers. YouTube money is way better. I make about $1,500/month from YouTube, but that was a long process.
Affiliate Links: I share links to things I own—anything from my beloved coffee maker to the beds my kids use. If they buy using my link, I get a commission. This brings in about $1K monthly.
Online Products: I created a money management guide and a food prep planner. Each costs $15, and I sell dozens per month. That's another over a thousand dollars.
Teaching Others: New creators pay me to guide them. I offer private coaching for two hundred dollars. I do about several each month.
My total income: Generally, I'm making between ten and fifteen grand per month these days. Some months are higher, some are tougher. It's up and down, which is nerve-wracking when there's no backup. But it's three times what I made at my corporate job, and I'm there for them.
What They Don't Show Nobody Posts About
This sounds easy until you're sobbing alone because a video didn't perform, or handling hate comments from random people.
The haters are brutal. I've been accused of being a bad mother, told I'm using my children, accused of lying about being a solo parent. I'll never forget, "No wonder he left." That one hurt so bad.
The algorithm shifts. Certain periods you're getting millions of views. The next, you're struggling for views. Your income goes up and down. You're constantly creating, never resting, nervous about slowing down, you'll fall behind.
The mom guilt is amplified to the extreme. Everything I share, I wonder: Am I oversharing? Is this okay? Will they hate me for this when they're older? I have firm rules—no faces of my kids without permission, no discussing their personal struggles, protecting their dignity. But the line is blurry sometimes.
The exhaustion is real. Sometimes when I don't want to film anything. When I'm exhausted, over it, and completely finished. But life doesn't stop. So I do it anyway.
The Wins
But listen—despite the hard parts, this journey has given me things I never imagined.
Money security for the first time ever. I'm not loaded, but I paid off $18,000 in debt. I have an emergency fund. We took a real vacation last summer—Disney, which felt impossible a couple years back. I don't check my bank account with anxiety anymore.
Flexibility that's priceless. When my son got sick last month, I didn't have to stress about missing work or worry about money. I worked anywhere. When there's a class party, I'm there. I'm there for them in ways I wasn't with a corporate job.
My people that saved me. The fellow creators I've befriended, especially other moms, have become real friends. We talk, collaborate, encourage each other. My followers have become this amazing support system. They hype me up, support me, and show me I'm not alone.
Me beyond motherhood. For the first time since having kids, I have something for me. I'm more than an ex or just a mom. I'm a content creator. An influencer. Someone who made it happen.
Tips for Single Moms Wanting to Start
If you're a solo parent considering content creation, listen up:
Begin now. Your first videos will suck. Mine did. It's fine. You get better, not by procrastinating.
Be yourself. People can smell fake from a mile away. Share your true life—the unfiltered truth. That's what works.
Protect your kids. Set limits. Decide what you will and won't share. Their privacy is non-negotiable. I keep names private, protect their faces, and never discuss anything that could embarrass them.
Multiple revenue sources. Don't rely on just one platform or one income stream. The algorithm is fickle. Multiple streams = safety.
Film multiple videos. When you have free time, film multiple videos. Future you will appreciate it when you're unable to film.
Connect with followers. Answer comments. Respond to DMs. Connect authentically. Your community is what matters.
Track metrics. Not all content is worth creating. If something takes forever and gets nothing while a different post takes 20 minutes and goes viral, shift focus.
Prioritize yourself. You matter too. Step away. Guard your energy. Your wellbeing matters more than going viral.
This takes time. This takes time. It took me ages to make any real money. The first year, I made fifteen thousand. The second year, $80,000. Year 3, I'm hitting six figures. It's a process.
Know your why. On hard days—and trust me, there will be—remember your reason. For me, it's supporting my kids, being there, and proving to myself that I'm stronger than I knew.
The Reality Check
Real talk, I'm telling the truth. Being a single mom creator is difficult. Really hard. You're managing a business while being the sole caretaker of tiny humans who need you constantly.
Certain days I wonder what I'm doing. Days when the nasty comments get to me. Days when I'm burnt out and questioning if I should go back to corporate with stability.
But and then my daughter says she's proud that I work from home. Or I look at my savings. Or I see a message from a follower saying my content changed her life. And I know it's worth it.
My Future Plans
Three years ago, I was lost and broke how I'd survive as a single mom. Now, I'm a professional creator making triple what I earned in traditional work, and I'm there for my kids.
My goals going forward? Hit 500K by year-end. Start a podcast for other single moms. Consider writing a book. Expand this business that gives me freedom, flexibility, and financial stability.
This journey gave me a path forward when I was desperate. It gave me a way to take care of my children, be there, and build something real. It's not what I planned, but it's meant to be.
To every single mom out there on the fence: You absolutely can. It will be challenging. You'll consider quitting. But you're currently doing the hardest job in the world—doing this alone. You're more capable than you know.
Jump in messy. Keep showing up. Protect your peace. And always remember, you're doing more than surviving—you're changing your life.
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go record a video about homework I forgot about and I'm just now hearing about it. Because that's how it goes—making content from chaos, one video at a time.
For real. This path? It's everything. Even if I'm sure there's crumbs everywhere. Dream life, chaos and all.