Let me tell you, motherhood is a whole vibe. But what's really wild? Working to get that bread while managing kids, laundry, and approximately 47 snack requests per day.
My hustle life began about several years ago when I had the epiphany that my Target runs were becoming problematic. It was time to get my own money.
Virtual Assistant Hustle
Right so, I kicked things off was doing VA work. And honestly? It was ideal. It let me hustle while the kids slept, and all I needed was my laptop and decent wifi.
I started with basic stuff like email sorting, doing social media scheduling, and basic admin work. Nothing fancy. I started at about $20/hour, which felt cheap but for someone with zero experience, you gotta start somewhere.
Here's what was wild? Picture this: me on a Zoom call looking all professional from the chest up—looking corporate—while rocking pants I'd owned since 2015. Living my best life.
My Etsy Journey
After a year, I thought I'd test out the Etsy world. Every mom I knew seemed to be on Etsy, so I was like "why not join the party?"
My shop focused on designing digital planners and home decor prints. The beauty of printables? You create it once, and it can make money while you sleep. For real, I've made sales at ungodly hours.
My first sale? I literally screamed. He came running thinking there was an emergency. Nope—I was just, celebrating my glorious $4.99. Don't judge me.
Blogging and Creating
Then I started writing and making content. This hustle is definitely a slow burn, I'm not gonna sugarcoat it.
I started a parenting blog where I wrote about what motherhood actually looks like—the good, the bad, and the ugly. Not the highlight reel. Just honest stories about surviving tantrums in Target.
Getting readers was a test of patience. At the beginning, it was basically talking to myself. But I didn't give up, and after a while, things took off.
Currently? I earn income through affiliate marketing, working with brands, and display ads. This past month I made over two thousand dollars from my website. Crazy, right?
The Social Media Management Game
After I learned social media for my own stuff, local businesses started reaching out if I could help them.
Here's the thing? Many companies suck at social media. They realize they should be posting, but they're too busy.
This is my moment. I now manage social media for three local businesses—different types of businesses. I develop content, schedule posts, respond to comments, and track analytics.
I bill between $500-1500 per month per business, depending on what they need. The best thing? I manage everything from my phone while sitting in the carpool line.
Writing for Money
For the wordy folks, content writing is seriously profitable. I'm not talking writing the next Great American Novel—I'm talking about blog posts, articles, website copy, product descriptions.
Brands and websites are desperate for content. I've written everything from subjects I knew nothing about before Googling. You don't need to be an expert, you just need to be good at research.
On average earn $0.10-0.50 per word, depending on length and complexity. When I'm hustling hard I'll create ten to fifteen pieces and pull in one to two thousand extra.
Here's what's wild: Back in school I thought writing was torture. These days I'm making money from copyright. Life's funny like that.
The Online Tutoring Thing
During the pandemic, tutoring went digital. With my teaching background, so this was right up my alley.
I signed up with a couple of online tutoring sites. It's super flexible, which is absolutely necessary when you have children who keep you guessing.
My sessions are usually elementary reading and math. The pay ranges from $15-25 per hour depending on the company.
Here's what's weird? Sometimes my own kids will interrupt mid-session. I've literally had to be professional while chaos erupted behind me. The parents on the other end are totally cool about it because they understand mom life.
Reselling and Flipping
So, this one happened accidentally. I was cleaning out my kids' things and listed some clothes on various apps.
Stuff sold out within hours. That's when I realized: people will buy anything.
At this point I frequent thrift stores, garage sales, and clearance sections, searching for things that will sell. I'll find something for three bucks and flip it for thirty.
It's definitely work? Absolutely. There's photographing, listing, and shipping. But I find it rewarding about discovering a diamond in the rough at the thrift store and turning a profit.
Plus: my kids think I'm cool when I bring home interesting finds. Just last week I grabbed a vintage toy that my son freaked out about. Sold it for $45. Mom win.
The Truth About Side Hustles
Truth bomb incoming: this stuff requires effort. There's work involved, hence the name.
There are days when I'm exhausted, wondering why I'm doing this. I'm grinding at dawn getting stuff done while it's quiet, then all day mom-ing, then back at it after everyone's in bed.
But you know what? These are my earnings. I don't have to ask permission to buy the fancy coffee. I'm adding to our household income. My kids see that you can have it all—sort of.
Advice for New Mom Hustlers
If you're considering a side gig, this is what I've learned:
Start with one thing. Avoid trying to juggle ten things. Choose one hustle and master it before starting something else.
Be realistic about time. If you only have evenings, that's perfectly acceptable. Whatever time you can dedicate is a great beginning.
Don't compare yourself to what you see online. The successful ones you see? They put in years of work and doesn't do it alone. Stay in your lane.
Learn and grow, but wisely. Start with free stuff first. Don't waste thousands on courses until you've validated your idea.
Do similar tasks together. I learned this the hard way. Use specific days for specific tasks. Make Monday writing day. Wednesday might be handling business stuff.
Let's Talk Mom Guilt
Real talk—I struggle with guilt. There are days when I'm hustling and my child is calling for me, and I hate it.
Yet I think about that I'm showing them what dedication looks like. I'm showing my daughter that you can be both.
Additionally? Having my own income has improved my mental health. I'm more satisfied, which makes me more patient.
Let's Talk Money
So what do I actually make? On average, from all my side gigs, I pull in $3K-5K. Certain months are higher, some are slower.
Is this getting-rich money? No. But we've used it to pay for vacations, home improvements, and that emergency vet bill that would've caused financial strain. It's building my skills and skills that could evolve into something huge.
Wrapping This Up
At the end of the day, doing this mom hustle thing isn't easy. It's not a perfect balance. A lot of days I'm improvising everything, running on coffee and determination, and doing my best.
But I'm glad I'm doing this. Every single dollar I earn is a testament to my hustle. It shows that I'm more than just mom.
So if you're considering launching a mom business? Do it. Start messy. You in six months will be grateful.
Don't forget: You aren't only getting by—you're creating something amazing. Despite the fact that there's likely mysterious crumbs stuck to your laptop.
For real. It's pretty amazing, chaos and all.
From Survival Mode to Content Creator: My Journey as a Single Mom
I'm gonna be honest—being a single parent wasn't on my vision board. I also didn't plan on becoming a content creator. But here I am, three years into this wild journey, making a living by sharing my life online while raising two kids basically solo. And I'll be real? It's been the most terrifying, empowering, and unexpected blessing of my life.
The Beginning: When Everything Came Crashing Down
It was 2022 when my marriage ended. I will never forget sitting in my half-empty apartment (he took the couch, I got the kids' art projects), wide awake at 2am while my kids were finally quiet. I had eight hundred forty-seven dollars in my account, little people counting on me, and a job that barely covered rent. The anxiety was crushing, y'all.
I'd been mindlessly scrolling to escape reality—because that's self-care at 2am, right? when we're drowning, right?—when I found this woman talking about how she made six figures through posting online. I remember thinking, "That's either a scam or she's incredibly lucky."
But when you're desperate, you try anything. Or both. Sometimes both.
I downloaded the TikTok creator app the next morning. My first video? Me, no makeup, messy bun, venting about how I'd just blown my final $12 on a frozen nuggets and juice boxes for my kids' lunches. I hit post and panicked. Why would anyone care about this disaster?
Spoiler alert, tons of people.
That video got forty-seven thousand views. 47,000 people watched me breakdown over $12 worth of food. The comments section turned into this unexpected source of support—other single moms, other people struggling, all saying "me too." That was my turning point. People didn't want perfect. They wanted real.
My Brand Evolution: The Real Mom Life Brand
The truth is about content creation: finding your niche is everything. And my niche? It happened organically. I became the unfiltered single mom.
I started filming the stuff people hide. Like how I didn't change pants for days because washing clothes was too much. Or when I fed my kids cereal for dinner multiple nights and called it "survival mode." Or that moment when my child asked why daddy doesn't live here anymore, and I had to discuss divorce to a kid who thinks the tooth fairy is real.
My content wasn't polished. My lighting was awful. I filmed on a cracked iPhone 8. But it was real, and apparently, that's what connected.
Within two months, I hit ten thousand followers. Three months later, 50,000. By half a year, I'd crossed 100,000. Each milestone felt surreal. Real accounts who wanted to listen to me. Plain old me—a broke single mom who had to Google "what is a content creator" six months earlier.
My Daily Reality: Content Creation Meets Real Life
Let me show you of my typical day, because being a single mom creator is totally different from those aesthetic "day in the life" videos you see.
5:30am: My alarm screams. I do absolutely not want to wake up, but this is my hustle hours. I make coffee that I'll microwave repeatedly, and I begin creating. Sometimes it's a GRWM discussing financial reality. Sometimes it's me meal prepping while talking about co-parenting struggles. The lighting is natural and terrible.
7:00am: Kids are awake. Content creation pauses. Now I'm in full mom mode—cooking eggs, hunting for that one shoe (why is it always one shoe), packing lunches, referee duties. The chaos is intense.
8:30am: School drop-off. I'm that mom filming at red lights in the car. Don't judge me, but bills don't care.
9:00am-2:00pm: This is my work block. I'm alone finally. I'm editing content, responding to comments, ideating, sending emails, analyzing metrics. People think content creation is simple. Absolutely not. It's a real job.
I usually batch-create content on Monday and Wednesday. That means making a dozen videos in one go. I'll switch outfits so it appears to be different times. Life hack: Keep several shirts ready for easy transitions. My neighbors definitely think I'm crazy, filming myself talking to my phone in the driveway.
3:00pm: School pickup. Parent time. But here's the thing—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 forty dollar toy. I created a video in the Target parking lot after about managing big emotions as a solo parent. It got 2.3 million views.
Evening: The evening routine. I'm generally wiped out to make videos, but I'll queue up posts, check DMs, or strategize. Some nights, after they're down, I'll edit videos until midnight because a partnership is due.
The truth? Balance is a myth. It's just organized chaos with random wins.
The Money Talk: How I Generate Income
Look, let's get into the finances because this is what you're wondering. Can you make a living as a influencer? Absolutely. Is it easy? Absolutely not.
My first month, I made $0. Month two? $0. Month three, I got my first sponsored post—$150 to promote a meal delivery. I broke down. That one-fifty 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 fit my niche—budget-friendly products, single-parent resources, children's products. I get paid anywhere from $500 to $5,000 per partnership, depending on the scope. Just last month, I did 4 sponsored posts and made $8K.
Ad Money: TikTok's creator fund pays very little—$200-$400 per month for massive numbers. YouTube ad revenue is more lucrative. I make about $1.5K monthly from YouTube, but that took forever.
Affiliate Marketing: I promote products to items I love—everything from my favorite 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 food prep planner. They sell for fifteen dollars, and I sell dozens per month. That's another thousand to fifteen hundred.
One-on-One Coaching: People wanting to start pay me to mentor them. I offer private coaching for two hundred per hour. I do about five to ten of these monthly.
My total income: Generally, I'm making $10-15K per month at this point. Some months are higher, others are slower. It's unpredictable, which is scary when you're solo. But it's three times what I made at my previous job, and I'm present.
The Dark Side Nobody Mentions
It looks perfect online until you're having a breakdown because a video flopped, or managing nasty DMs from internet trolls.
The haters are brutal. I've been accused of being a bad mother, told I'm exploiting my kids, questioned about being a single mom. Someone once commented, "No wonder he left." That one stung for days.
The algorithm shifts. One week you're getting millions of views. The following week, you're getting nothing. Your income fluctuates. You're always creating, never resting, scared to stop, you'll fall behind.
The mom guilt is amplified times a thousand. Every upload, I wonder: Is this appropriate? Am I doing right by them? Will they be angry about this when they're older? I have clear boundaries—protected identities, keeping their stories private, nothing humiliating. But the line is blurry sometimes.
The burnout is real. Some weeks when I have nothing. When I'm depleted, over it, and totally spent. But the mortgage is due. So I do it anyway.
The Wins
But the truth is—through it all, this journey has brought me things I never imagined.
Financial stability for the first damn time. I'm not wealthy, but I eliminated my debt. I have an cushion. We took a real vacation last summer—Disney, which felt impossible a couple years back. I don't dread checking my balance anymore.
Schedule freedom that's priceless. When my child had a fever last month, I didn't have to use PTO or lose income. I handled business at urgent care. When there's a school event, I'm present. I'm in their lives in ways I wasn't with a traditional 9-5.
My people that saved me. The creator friends I've connected with, especially other moms, have become true friends. We support each other, help each other, encourage each other. My followers have become this beautiful community. They celebrate my wins, support me, and make me feel seen.
Identity beyond "mom". For website the first time since having kids, I have an identity. I'm not defined by divorce or someone's mom. I'm a entrepreneur. A businesswoman. Someone who created this.
My Best Tips
If you're a solo parent thinking about this, listen up:
Just start. Your first videos will be awful. Mine did. That's normal. You get better, not by waiting until everything is perfect.
Authenticity wins. People can sense inauthenticity. Share your honest life—the mess. That's what connects.
Guard their privacy. Set limits. Have standards. Their privacy is sacred. I protect their names, limit face shots, and never discuss anything that could embarrass them.
Build multiple income streams. Don't put all eggs in one basket or one way to earn. The algorithm is unpredictable. Multiple income streams = stability.
Batch create content. When you have quiet time, make a bunch. Tomorrow you will be grateful when you're too exhausted to create.
Engage with your audience. Reply to comments. Check messages. Be real with them. Your community is your foundation.
Track your time and ROI. Not all content is worth creating. If something takes forever and gets nothing while something else takes very little time and blows up, shift focus.
Prioritize yourself. Self-care isn't selfish. Unplug. Protect your peace. Your wellbeing matters most.
Stay patient. This is a marathon. It took me eight months to make decent money. Year one, I made fifteen thousand. Year 2, eighty grand. Year three, I'm hitting six figures. It's a long game.
Don't forget your why. On tough days—and trust me, there will be—think about your why. For me, it's independence, being there, and proving to myself that I'm more than I believed.
The Reality Check
Real talk, I'm telling the truth. Being a single mom creator is difficult. Like, really freaking hard. You're operating a business while being the lone caretaker of kids who need everything.
Some days I question everything. Days when the hate comments affect me. Days when I'm burnt out and wondering if I should quit this with benefits and a steady paycheck.
But then my daughter shares 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 inspired her. And I remember my purpose.
My Future Plans
A few years back, I was lost and broke what to do. Today, I'm a full-time content creator making triple what I earned in corporate America, and I'm available when they need me.
My goals for the future? Get to half a million followers by December. Begin podcasting for solo parents. Possibly write a book. Keep building this business that changed my life.
This path gave me a second chance when I was drowning. It gave me a way to feed my babies, be present in their lives, and build something I'm genuinely proud of. It's unexpected, but it's exactly where I needed to be.
To every single mom out there on the fence: Hell yes you can. It won't be easy. You'll doubt yourself. But you're currently doing the hardest job in the world—parenting solo. You're tougher than you realize.
Start messy. Be consistent. Protect your peace. And know this, you're doing more than surviving—you're changing your life.
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go make a video about homework I forgot about and surprise!. Because that's the content creator single mom life—content from the mess, video by video.
For real. This journey? It's worth every struggle. Even if there's definitely crushed cheerios stuck to my laptop right now. Dream life, one messy video at a time.