Last updated on July 31st, 2023 at 02:41 pm
Some of the side hustles extolled by Internet gurus sound too good to be true. And honestly, most of them are. I find a whole bunch of success stories skim over all of the tedious, hard work it takes to even gain a little traction. I’m here to tell you what is really involved in these undertakings and if they’re even worth it. (So please don’t buy your Boss Babe name plate just yet!)
Why I pursued a side hustle
Even before I became a mom, I was hustlin’. I think it’s within my nature to not deny moneymaking opportunities. Some sort of fall in my lap (like babysitting) and others I’ve actively pursued (like setting up my TPT shop). I also happen to contain the perfect mix of entrepreneurial excitement and hopeless optimism that necessitates the makeup of a Side Hustler.
Once I became a mom, caring for baby consumed most of my time, and I’m happy to have devoted myself to it. But eventually as she grew, and I got more sleep, and we considered our waning finances, I started to yearn for more income opportunities. I like my work. I like money and the freedom it provides. Somehow, even in the midst of diaper changes and reading storybooks and endless peekaboos, it seemed like the most sensible thing to pursue.
Side gig stories from someone who has been there
This article is an immersive presentation of my experiences in these side gigs. I don’t have a course or ebook to sell or anything like that– I just want to give readers an honest picture of what it could be like. I’ve fallen hard for the inflated promises of Internet “experts” out there, but I’ve come to realize that the model for a lot of these influencers includes making more from their content about making money than from the actual side hustle they’re supposedly making money from.
And my experiences are just that– my versions and viewpoints and unique set of circumstances. It may end up totally different for you if you tried. But regardless of how different outcomes can be for various people, I still love learning from others (and especially learning from their mistakes if possible!).
I started the majority of these side gigs in a place where I’ve worried about money. We’ve been so blessed, and we have everything we need. I’m so grateful. But I’m also a planner and worrier and go-getter, so I was of course thinking in my default mode, which is the future. What if we had more kids? Or we needed a bigger vehicle to accomodate said additional children? Or if we bought a house? These somewhat nervewracking questions kept me hungry. Hungry to at least try. Maybe you’re in a similar place. I can understand holding onto those feelings of gratefulness and anxiety all at once. So maybe let’s do something about that:
Side hustle #1: Substitute teaching
When school districts starting calling parents to come cover classrooms, that signaled a desperate need.
Substitute teaching is a field that I think will always be in high demand.
It’s personally satisfying to me knowing that I’m helping educate our next generation, both how I am physically there teaching and the relief I am providing to the regular classroom teacher. Without subs, teachers burn out.
Since I was a classroom teacher for five years before resigning, subbing was a natural extension of that. It was the more flexible, less respected extension, but I took the opportunity.
I go more into detail about substitute teaching in this article, but to summarize: even though I’m a trained and experienced teacher, taking over in a classroom I’ve met five seconds ago is a real challenge. But nothing beats the flexibility of subbing for me. I can select on an app which days and classrooms I want to work in, coordinate with a babysitter, and even cancel the job as long as it’s not the night before if something comes up.
I earn a decent amount per day (around $150) for a schedule I will never have to choose over family and other circumstances. For those reasons, I think I’ll stay a Part-Time Teacher Nomad.
Side hustle #2: Private tutoring
This one’s also within the radius of my profession as a teacher. Anyone can tutor, but I think as a teacher I have more strategies and knowledge both of the content I’m teaching and of instructional methodology.
Plus, having the experience means I can confidently command higher rates.
Private tutoring may be my favorite of my cache of income trickles. I can teach just one person for a higher hourly rate than I would get teaching a classroom. (Granted: this doesn’t include the full-time benefits classroom teaching would, though.)
Tutoring allows greater freedom, in general. All of the pacing markers and assessments and checklist of to-dos that makes my head spin as a teacher are absent in this one-woman-show, because I am making the isntructional decisions, along with the parent and child.
A challenge with this gig could be finding enough clients to fill a reliable schedule. I outline more advantages and drawbacks of tutoring in this article, but as a side income opportunity, I don’t think this should be overlooked.
Side hustle #3: Selling digital teaching materials on TPT
I was no stranger to the standby teacher side hustle, TPT. I made frequent use of this convenient collection of paid and free teaching materials. As a TPT customer, I became familiar with many little teacher shops and thought I’d give it a swing.
Creating extravagently detailed units and lessons pumped extra buoyancy into my undercaffeinated teacher veins. I probably spent way too much time developing my own resources (aka: I spent time creating things I genuinely enjoyed, like writing ELA units centered around the novel “Mr. Popper’s Penguins,” but when it came to things I didn’t enjoy, like teaching math? Hand over all of the pre-created resources, please!)
I had already put so much heart and soul into making and successfully teaching these materials. Surely other teachers would be interested! Could I– as they say– make money in my sleep?
The money I accrued in my slumber was close to what I make when my toddler picks up a small disk at the park– is it a coin or a delicate appendage of some ancient equipment? We don’t even know.
Joking aside, I actually made a decent profit from my products the first two years I set up shop, mostly due to the fact that I had paid for the Premium Seller Membership, allowing me to receive a greater portion of the sales than just free members. After the two years of being an elite TPT shop owner, I downgraded to the basic membership and have seen a trickle of cents flowing in steadily each month.(Details about exactly how much I made can be found on this article about my TPT shop.)
In sum, I have no idea if my earnings were worth the time spent creating the products, setting up shop, and advertising. A lot more went into it than I thought. Still, by now I’ve left the shop just sitting there, and I enjoy seeing a dollar or two amble into my bank account each month. I’ll hold onto the shop for that reason. That sweet, sweet passive income.
Side hustle #4: Selling bespoke home bakery treats
Within my first two years of married life, I developed a passion for baking homemade treats with the highest quality ingredients I could gather– organic flours and farm-fresh dairy, homemade vanilla extract and hand mixed brown sugar. I discovered my love language presented itself in the form of baking pretty layer cakes and topping them with fresh buttercreams.
With floured fingers and romanticized optimism, I began sharing all I was learning on my social media accounts– the recipe testing, the decorating, the delicious taste testing.
Friends began to comment and compliment and inquire. That’s how it accidentally became a business.
In the span of a year, I was recruited to bake two birthday cakes, two baby shower cakes, and two wedding cakes. We spread a selection of my organic treats on a folding table in our driveway, selling to the public. Later that year, my husband help me set up my booth at a local craft fair, where I displayed three layer cakes sold by the slice and chocolate chip cookies and whoopie pies for sale.
I baked for a fundraiser. I met streams of new people at my popup markets. I connected with other bakers. A flattering moment occurred when a sweet baker friend had me over for baking and learning. Her husband remarked, “So you cake, too?” Yes, I cake. In the verb form.
This post about my home bakery experience give more details about the finances of it, but I determined it was better suited as a hobby than as a moneymaking side hustle.
Side hustle #5: Babysitting
Watching my friends’ children became a side income opportunity out of nowhere.
I watched one friend’s son a few times a month when I was pregnant, and I picked up some last-minute jobs for another friend when my baby was over six months.
The gig has been rewarding for me, because I like helping my friends out, I like being with their kids, and it’s an easy enough job to do. The biggest cost of the job for me is energy.
It’s not something I end up doing a lot, and the pay isn’t particularly tantalizing, but babysitting can be a good option for an occasional side job for busy moms like myself.
Side hustle #6: House cleaning
Cleaning other people’s houses was another happenstance chance to generate some extra cash.
My mainstay of work derives from my contacts in the building and remodeling industry. A family member, who is also a contractor, calls on me to shine up windows and wipe up dust mid-project when the homeowners are visiting. This, I think, ensures a more pleasant and safe view of the remodel.
I’ve also served as a substitute for a friend who housecleans full-time. This is how I once ended up cleaning and serving for a Christmas party at a mansion by the sparkling bay.
Overall, I find the job worth it to pick up from time to time. The work is very physical, but hardly ever social, which appeals to me sometimes. And the earning potential can be pretty great depending on the rates you choose to set (or if you happen to receive a generous holiday tip!).
What’s the verdict? A review of all my side jobs
All of these side hustles have been pretty agreeable to me, which is why on the chart below I’ve given them all a medium personal satisfaction rating. Tutoring is the lone opportunity that earns a spot in the high satisfaction ranks. (There really is nothing unpleasant about the actual work involved, in my view!)
Service vs. product business
Most of these jobs– subbing, babysitting, cleaning and tutoring– are service-based. The amount of money earned depends on the amount of jobs and rate for each job.
But the home bakery and TPT shop are in the business of selling products. I want to note that this is risky. You could end up spending a lot of time and resources making the products without a return equal to or exceeding the upfront costs.
When I ran my bake stand at a local craft fair, I guessed at how much baked treats I would need and baked them in a flurry of a few days, over several hours and multiple trips to the grocery store.
By the time I baked and packaged the items, typed and listed all the ingredients, and set up the booth, I did make some sales. In fact, I sold about three quarters of my inventory.
But there’s no telling if all those earnings made it worth it.
That’s my warning with product-based gigs. There are still instances where these can be very lucrative. If I personally experience success in this way, you’ll be the first to know. (My theory is that this model has a great risk-reward ratio!)
I hope this has given some context and details to help others reach decisions surrounding their work. Because my work doesn’t exist in a vacuum– it has to fit within the context of my family and home life. Some of these opportunities can beautifully integrate into life like that.
What about this blog?
I haven’t made a cent from these pretty Internet words (yet) but I’m hoping to. That’s the honest answer. I truly appreciate you being here and taking the time to read.
What about other side hustles?
Though I haven’t personally tried these jobs, I think the following would be worthwhile to pursue and can fit meaningfully into family life: restaurant serving, part-time nursing/healthcare, virtual assisting, bookkeeping, and freelance photography. Let me know in the comments if you’d like to share any ideas for extra income that are compatible with family life!
