Side Hustle Sally

My daughter is almost 14, which is how long I have been trying out different side hustles. My husband and I agreed that it was best for our children if I stayed home with them. Since deciding to be a stay-at-home mom, my life has been chaotic and busy, but not in the ways you might think. I homeschool my daughter, and when my son is old enough, I will homeschool him, as well. At this point, my daughter pretty much homeschools herself, she independently goes through her schoolwork for the day, and now and then, I check her grades. Most of my days are chasing our toddler around and working on whatever side hustle I'm hyper-focused on at the moment. From print-on-demand to content creation, I've tried so many different ways to make money from home.

I started out trying to make things. Jewelry, bows, customized cork boards, and the list goes on. Back in the day, we didn't have TikTok so marketing products was different. I posted the things I made on Facebook and sold a few things, but not nearly enough to even pay for my lunch, let alone a bill or two like I was hoping for. So, eventually, I moved on to trying secret shopping. I signed up with a company and did a few 'missions' or whatever they were called, but the pay was terrible, and I either had to bring my daughter with me or leave her with my mom. So I stopped doing that I started looking for the next thing.

At this point, it was 2016 or 2017, and I needed to make some money. So, I started applying for part-time work. At least I wouldn't be gone all day and could make some money. I got a job with an after-school program. I loved the kids and the work, but the company I worked for was terrible. So, after a year, I started applying for other jobs. I got a job in an office that I loved! I loved the work, the people I worked with, and even the schedule. I worked there a couple of years, and then Covid hit, and I couldn't send my daughter to my mom's anymore. So, I quit and started looking at side hustles again.

Over the next 4 or 5 years, I tried dropshipping, print-on-demand, and I even bought a Cricut and started putting vinyl on everything! BUT can I tell you what I was missing with all of these hustles? MARKETING! I wasn't marketing my products anywhere! Even things sold on Etsy need to be marketed. You can't put it out there and hope it sells. You have to market your products. Whether you market your products with ads or by making content on social media to show them off, it's important to get your products out there in front of people one way or another.

So, what am I doing now? Well, I'm glad you asked. I have lots of 'irons in the fire'. I started investing in the stock market, which is so much easier than I thought it would be. I started a quote page. I kept hearing about them, so I just decided to start one and see what happens. I wrote a few children's books and have them listed on Amazon. I have made several digital products and listed them on Etsy. I make little 'goodie bags' and sell them on Etsy and at local events. I post Amazon affiliate links on Pinterest. Lastly, I'm posting this story on Vocal. Let me know if you'd like to know more about any of the side hustles I'm doing now. I'd love to tell you more about them!