When I left my marriage, I didn’t have a backup plan.
Just a van, two little kids (three and one at the time), a bit of savings that was meant to go toward a house we’d never build and a determination to build a better life for us.
We hit the road to travel full time even though I had no job and just a small social media following I had just started growing. I had no real idea how I’d actually earn enough money to support us but I was determined to make it work. I just knew we needed the freedom and had no choice but to go after a new life. I was homeschooling, the girls had never been with anyone else and I was determined to keep it that way.
I wanted to be with them, not away working to pay for a life that didn’t feel aligned.
I dove into learning everything I could about making money online.
At night while my kids slept in our small VW van, I’d stay up on my phone diving into every resource I could find and learn how other women were building online businesses and earning passive income. I tried a lot of things and failed at quite a few, but slowly, I carved a path that allowed me to stay home (or travel) with my kids, teach them myself, and build something sustainable.
Here’s exactly how I made my first $1,000 from home, while being a full time single mom with no support:
1. TikTok Creator Fund & Views
I had a couple of videos go viral — raw and honest stories about solo motherhood, healing, and our simple life on the road. At the time, TikTok paid through their Creator Fund (which isn’t as active now), and I made a few hundred dollars just from views.
It wasn’t consistent, but it gave me the confidence that my story had value — and that building an audience could lead to real income.
💡 Tip: Even if you’re starting small, show up authentically. People crave realness, especially from mothers building an intentional life.
2. Brand Collaboration
Around the same time, a small brand reached out after seeing one of my videos. It was a company helping kids learn to read and aligned well with my content. I earned around $300 for a TikTok post. As far as brand deals go, this was technically not a huge deal, but at the time, it felt monumental to me. It was proof that what I was building could support us.
💡 Tip: Don’t wait to be “big enough” to pitch to brands. If you have an audience, even a small one, and create niche content, you have value. Start reaching out to brands that align with your values and audience. I have a guide on how to get started here.
3. Affiliate Sales
As I created content and connected with an audience, I started sharing resources I actually used like books, homeschool supplies, my parenting favorites, and my travel favorites. Through Amazon and a couple of affiliate programs, I made small but steady commissions. I share the steps here.
💡 Tip: Focus on sharing products that deeply resonate with your audience and that you genuinely use and like. Authentic recommendations will always convert better than generic ones.
4. My First Digital Product
Eventually, I realized I wanted to create my own offerings. I wanted to create resources that were needed within my community. With the misinformation around unschooling, I created a digital course on child-led homeschooling based on my training in child development and what I’d learned while teaching my own daughters to broaden information and better support parents that wanted a similar path.
I priced it accessibly and shared it with my small but growing audience on TikTok and Pinterest. Sales slowly started to come in, even though it was just a few, and it felt like magic.
Finally I was making money in my sleep. It showed me what passive income could look like – money coming in without trading my time for it every day. And I still make money from these resources four years later.
Total Breakdown of My First $1K:
• TikTok Creator Fund: ~$300
• Brand Collab: ~$300
• Affiliate Sales: ~$100
• Homeschool Course Sales: ~$300
It wasn’t fast. It wasn’t perfect. But it was real and it was progress. It proved to me that I could build something and make this work – slowly, honestly, and in alignment with the life I wanted to live with my children.
Want to Start Building Passive Income Too?
I created a guide to help other moms start their own aligned income journey. Whether you want to sell digital products, work with brands, or just figure out your next right step, this guide will help you get started on your journey.
➡️ Download the Passive Income Guide for Moms
You can also check out my digital resources:
• Child-Led Homeschooling Guide
This post is just the beginning of my story but it can be the beginning of your new story as well – one where you don’t have to choose between staying home and making money. You can do both. It might take time, but it’s possible.
And it starts with your first $100.
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