Let me spill, mom life is no joke. But what's really wild? Attempting to secure the bag while managing toddlers and their chaos.
I entered the side gig world about several years ago when I had the epiphany that my random shopping trips were reaching dangerous levels. I needed my own money.
Virtual Assistant Hustle
Right so, I kicked things off was becoming a virtual assistant. And real talk? It was perfect. It let me get stuff done when the house was finally peaceful, and all I needed was my laptop and decent wifi.
Initially I was doing basic stuff like email management, managing social content, and entering data. Nothing fancy. My rate was about $15-20 per hour, which seemed low but when you're just starting, you gotta begin at the bottom.
What cracked me up? I'd be on a client call looking completely put together from the chest up—blazer, makeup, the works—while sporting pajama bottoms. Peak mom life.
Selling on Etsy
After a year, I ventured into the Etsy world. Every mom I knew seemed to be on Etsy, so I figured "why not join the party?"
I created crafting digital planners and digital art prints. What's great about digital products? You create it once, and it can keep selling indefinitely. Actually, I've made sales at times when I didn't even know.
The first time someone bought something? I literally screamed. My husband thought the house was on fire. Nope—I was just, doing a happy dance for my glorious $4.99. Don't judge me.
The Content Creation Grind
Then I started the whole influencer thing. This venture is definitely a slow burn, let me tell you.
I started a parenting blog where I wrote about real mom life—everything unfiltered. No Instagram-perfect nonsense. Just honest stories about finding mystery stains on everything I own.
Getting readers was a test of patience. At the beginning, I was basically talking to myself. But I persisted, and slowly but surely, things gained momentum.
Now? I make money through promoting products, collaborations, and display ads. This past month I earned over two grand from my website. Mind-blowing, right?
SMM Side Hustle
As I mastered managing my blog's social media, other businesses started reaching out if I could run their social media.
Here's the thing? Tons of businesses suck at social media. They know they have to be on it, but they don't know how.
That's where I come in. I currently run social media for several small companies—various small businesses. I develop content, plan their posting schedule, engage with followers, and check their stats.
I charge between $500-1500 per month per account, depending on the scope of work. What I love? I handle this from my phone during soccer practice.
Freelance Writing Life
For those who can string sentences together, writing gigs is incredibly lucrative. This isn't becoming Shakespeare—I'm talking about commercial writing.
Websites and businesses constantly need fresh content. My assignments have included everything from literally everything under the sun. Google is your best friend, you just need to be able to learn quickly.
Usually charge $50-150 per article, depending on what's involved. Some months I'll produce a dozen articles and bring in one to two thousand extra.
What's hilarious: I was the person who struggled with essays. These days I'm getting paid for it. Talk about character development.
Tutoring Online
After lockdown started, virtual tutoring became huge. As a former educator, so this was perfect for me.
I started working with various tutoring services. It's super flexible, which is absolutely necessary when you have unpredictable little ones.
My sessions are usually elementary school stuff. The pay ranges from fifteen to thirty bucks per hour depending on the platform.
The funny thing? Occasionally my kids will photobomb my lessons mid-session. I've had to teach fractions while my toddler screamed about the wrong color cup. My clients are incredibly understanding because they're living the same life.
Flipping Items for Profit
Alright, this hustle started by accident. I was decluttering my kids' things and listed some clothes on Facebook Marketplace.
They sold instantly. Lightbulb moment: you can sell literally anything.
At this point I hit up estate sales and thrift shops, on the hunt for quality items. I purchase something for cheap and resell at a markup.
This takes effort? For sure. It's a whole process. But I find it rewarding about finding hidden treasures at Goodwill and making profit.
Also: the kids think it's neat when I score cool vintage stuff. Recently I found a retro toy that my son went crazy for. Sold it for $45. Score one for mom.
The Honest Reality
Truth bomb incoming: these aren't get-rich-quick schemes. It's called hustling because you're hustling.
Some days when I'm running on empty, doubting everything. I'm up at 5am working before my kids wake up, then being a full-time parent, then more hustle time after 8pm hits.
But here's what matters? This income is mine. No permission needed to get the good coffee. I'm contributing to our household income. My kids are learning that you can be both.
Tips if You're Starting Out
If you're thinking about a side gig, here are my tips:
Begin with something manageable. Avoid trying to launch everything simultaneously. Choose one hustle and master it before adding the post mentioned more.
Honor your limits. If you only have evenings, that's perfectly acceptable. Whatever time you can dedicate is valuable.
Avoid comparing yourself to what you see online. The successful ones you see? She probably started years ago and has support. Run your own race.
Learn and grow, but carefully. You don't need expensive courses. Avoid dropping huge money on programs until you've validated your idea.
Batch tasks together. This saved my sanity. Use specific days for specific tasks. Use Monday for content creation day. Wednesday might be handling business stuff.
Let's Talk Mom Guilt
I'm not gonna lie—guilt is part of this. There are days when I'm on my laptop and they want to play, and I feel terrible.
Yet I think about that I'm modeling for them what dedication looks like. I'm demonstrating to my children that women can be mothers and entrepreneurs.
Also? Earning independently has helped me feel more like myself. I'm more fulfilled, which makes me a better parent.
The Numbers
How much do I earn? Generally, total from all sources, I bring in $3,000-5,000 per month. It varies, some are tougher.
Is this getting-rich money? Not really. But we've used it to pay for vacations, home improvements, and that emergency vet bill that would've caused financial strain. It's also giving me confidence and skills that could become a full-time thing.
Wrapping This Up
At the end of the day, doing this mom hustle thing is hard. There's no one-size-fits-all approach. Often I'm winging it, surviving on coffee, and crossing my fingers.
But I wouldn't change it. Every dollar I earn is evidence of my capability. It's evidence that I'm more than just mom.
If you're thinking about diving into this? Take the leap. Don't wait for perfect. Your tomorrow self will be grateful.
And remember: You're more than enduring—you're growing something incredible. Even when there's likely Goldfish crackers stuck to your laptop.
Not even kidding. This 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 was never the plan. I also didn't plan on becoming a content creator. But fast forward to now, three years later, paying bills by being vulnerable on the internet while doing this mom thing solo. And not gonna lie? It's been scary AF but incredible of my life.
Rock Bottom: When Everything Imploded
It was three years ago when my relationship fell apart. I remember sitting in my half-empty apartment (I kept the kids' stuff, he took everything else), wide awake at 2am while my kids were finally quiet. I had less than a thousand dollars in my bank account, two mouths to feed, and a paycheck that wasn't enough. The panic was real, y'all.
I was scrolling social media to distract myself from the anxiety—because that's self-care at 2am, right? in crisis mode, right?—when I found this single mom discussing how she became debt-free through posting online. I remember thinking, "She's lying or got lucky."
But desperation makes you brave. Or crazy. Often both.
I downloaded the TikTok app the next morning. My first video? Raw, unfiltered, messy hair, talking about how I'd just put my last twelve dollars on a pack of chicken nuggets and fruit snacks for my kids' lunches. I hit post and panicked. Why would anyone care about my mess?
Turns out, a lot of people.
That video got nearly 50,000 views. 47,000 people watched me almost lose it over chicken nuggets. The comments section turned into this validation fest—other single moms, people living the same reality, all saying "this is my life." That was my epiphany. People didn't want perfection. They wanted raw.
My Brand Evolution: The Real Mom Life Brand
Here's the secret about content creation: finding your niche is everything. And my niche? It chose me. I became the unfiltered single mom.
I started filming the stuff people hide. Like how I didn't change pants for days because I couldn't handle laundry. Or when I let them eat Lucky Charms for dinner multiple nights and called it "cereal week." Or that moment when my daughter asked why we don't live with dad, and I had to talk about complex things to a kid who is six years old.
My content was raw. My lighting was non-existent. I filmed on a phone with a broken screen. But it was authentic, and turns out, that's what resonated.
Two months later, I hit 10K. Three months later, 50,000. By month six, I'd crossed a hundred thousand. Each milestone felt impossible. Real accounts who wanted to listen to me. Plain old me—a broke single mom who had to figure this out from zero six months earlier.
The Actual Schedule: Juggling Everything
Let me paint you a picture of my typical day, because this life is not at all like those curated "day in the life" videos you see.
5:30am: My alarm goes off. I do absolutely not want to wake up, but this is my work time. I make coffee that will get cold, and I get to work. Sometimes it's a morning routine talking about single mom finances. Sometimes it's me making food while venting about custody stuff. The lighting is not great.
7:00am: Kids wake up. Content creation pauses. Now I'm in parent mode—pouring cereal, locating lost items (it's always one shoe), making lunch boxes, stopping fights. The chaos is intense.
8:30am: School drop-off. I'm that mom creating content in traffic when stopped. Don't judge me, but content waits for no one.
9:00am-2:00pm: This is my hustle time. Peace and quiet. I'm editing videos, replying to DMs, ideating, reaching out to brands, checking analytics. Everyone assumes content creation is only filming. Nope. It's a entire operation.
I usually batch-create content on certain days. That means creating 10-15 pieces in one go. I'll swap tops so it seems like separate days. Hot tip: Keep wardrobe options close for easy transitions. My neighbors definitely think I'm crazy, making videos in public in the parking lot.
3:00pm: Getting the kids. Transition back to mom mode. But here's where it gets tricky—sometimes my viral videos come from the chaos. A few days ago, my daughter had a epic meltdown in Target because I said no to a toy she didn't need. I created a video in the parking lot once we left about dealing with meltdowns as a single parent. It got 2.3M views.
Evening: All the evening things. I'm completely exhausted to film, but I'll schedule content, respond to DMs, or prep for tomorrow. Certain nights, after the kids are asleep, I'll edit for hours because a partnership is due.
The truth? There's no balance. It's just chaos with a plan with random wins.
The Financial Reality: How I Generate Income
Alright, let's get into the finances because this is what people ask about. Can you make a living as a creator? Yes. Is it straightforward? Nope.
My first month, I made $0. Second month? Still nothing. Month three, I got my first collaboration—one hundred fifty dollars to post about a food subscription. I actually cried. That $150 fed us.
Today, three years later, here's how I earn income:
Brand Partnerships: This is my largest income stream. I work with brands that my followers need—budget-friendly products, parenting tools, kids' stuff. I bill anywhere from $500-5K per collaboration, depending on what they need. This past month, I did four collabs and made $8K.
TikTok Fund: Creator fund pays basically nothing—a few hundred dollars per month for massive numbers. YouTube ad revenue is better. I make about $1,500 monthly from YouTube, but that took two years to build up.
Affiliate Marketing: I promote products to stuff I really use—anything from my go-to coffee machine to the bunk beds in their room. If someone clicks and buys, I get a cut. This brings in about $1K monthly.
Digital Products: I created a financial planner and a meal planning ebook. They sell for fifteen dollars, and I sell 50-100 per month. That's another thousand to fifteen hundred.
One-on-One Coaching: New creators pay me to teach them the ropes. I offer private coaching for $200 hourly. I do about five to ten per month.
Total monthly income: Generally, I'm making $10,000-15,000 per month currently. Some months I make more, some are lower. It's variable, which is scary when you're solo. But it's three times what I made at my old job, and I'm available for my kids.
The Dark Side Nobody Mentions
From the outside it's great until you're crying in your car because a video didn't perform, or handling cruel messages from random people.
The trolls are vicious. I've been told I'm a terrible parent, told I'm a bad influence, accused of lying about being a divorced parent. Someone once commented, "Maybe your husband left because you're annoying." That one hurt so bad.
The algorithm shifts. Certain periods you're getting viral hits. Next month, you're barely hitting 1K. Your income fluctuates. You're always creating, never resting, nervous about slowing down, you'll lose momentum.
The mom guilt is worse to the extreme. Every upload, I wonder: Am I oversharing? Am I protecting my kids' privacy? Will they resent this when they're teenagers? I have non-negotiables—protected identities, keeping their stories private, nothing that could embarrass them. But the line is blurry sometimes.
The exhaustion is real. Certain periods when I can't create. When I'm depleted, over it, and just done. But life doesn't stop. So I do it anyway.
The Beautiful Parts
But here's what's real—even with the struggles, this journey has created things I never imagined.
Money security for the first time ever. I'm not rich, but I paid off $18,000 in debt. I have an savings. We took a vacation last summer—Disney World, which I never thought possible not long ago. I don't stress about my account anymore.
Schedule freedom that's priceless. When my son got sick last month, I didn't have to use PTO or lose income. I worked from the doctor's office. When there's a field trip, I'm present. I'm in their lives in ways I wasn't with a corporate job.
My people that saved me. The creator friends I've found, especially solo parents, have become my people. We support each other, share strategies, have each other's backs. My followers have become this beautiful community. They celebrate my wins, encourage me through rough patches, and make me feel seen.
My own identity. Since becoming a mom, I have an identity. I'm not just an ex or someone's mom. I'm a entrepreneur. An influencer. A person who hustled.
What I Wish I Knew
If you're a single mother thinking about this, here's my advice:
Just start. Your first videos will be awful. Mine did. That's okay. You get better, not by procrastinating.
Keep it real. People can tell when you're fake. Share your honest life—the chaos. That's what works.
Protect your kids. Set limits. Be intentional. Their privacy is the priority. I don't use their names, minimize face content, and keep private things private.
Don't rely on one thing. Spread it out or one revenue source. The algorithm is unreliable. Multiple income streams = stability.
Batch your content. When you have free time, make a bunch. Next week you will thank yourself when you're too exhausted to create.
Connect with followers. Engage. Reply to messages. Be real with them. Your community is crucial.
Track your time and ROI. Be strategic. If something requires tons of time and tanks while another video takes minutes and goes viral, shift focus.
Prioritize yourself. Self-care isn't selfish. Step away. Protect your peace. Your wellbeing matters more than views.
This takes time. This isn't a get-rich-quick scheme. It took me eight months to make meaningful money. My first year, I made maybe $15,000 total. Year 2, $80,000. Year 3, I'm hitting six figures. It's a journey.
Stay connected to your purpose. On hard days—and there will be many—remember your reason. For me, it's supporting my kids, flexibility with my kids, and showing myself that I'm capable of anything.
The Reality Check
Real talk, I'm telling the truth. Being a single mom creator is challenging. Really hard. You're basically running a business while being the single caregiver of tiny humans who need you constantly.
Many days I question everything. Days when the hate comments affect me. Days when I'm completely spent and questioning if I should quit this with stability.
But then suddenly my daughter shares she appreciates this. Or I look at my savings. Or I receive a comment from a follower saying my content inspired her. And I remember why I do this.
My Future Plans
Years ago, I was lost and broke how to survive. Now, I'm a professional creator making more than I imagined in my old job, and I'm available when they need me.
My goals for the future? Get to half a million followers by this year. Begin podcasting for single moms. Possibly write a book. Continue building this business that supports my family.
This journey gave me a second chance when I was desperate. It gave me a way to support my kids, be there, and build something I'm genuinely proud of. It's a surprise, but it's meant to be.
To any single parent considering this: You absolutely can. It isn't simple. You'll struggle. But you're handling the most difficult thing—raising humans alone. You're powerful.
Jump in messy. Stay consistent. Prioritize yourself. And always remember, you're not just surviving—you're creating something amazing.
Time to go, I need to go record a video about the project I just found out about and surprise!. Because that's this life—content from the mess, one TikTok at a time.
No cap. This journey? It's the best decision. Even if I'm sure there's old snacks stuck to my laptop right now. Living the dream, chaos and all.