7 Moms Share How They Made Their First $100 Online

The internet has opened so many opportunities for moms to make money from home. In this post, seven moms share how they made their first $100 online. From freelancing to selling products on Etsy, there are endless ways for moms to make money online. Whether you want to make a little extra money each month or you’re ready to start a full-time business, these moms show that it is possible to make money online. So, if you're looking for some inspiration on how to get started, be sure to read on!

Kelly McCausey

In 2002 I was a broke single mom who desperately wanted to keep the lights on and the propane tank filled - and not doing a very good job at it. Working full time at my church, I didn't make much money. Friends encouraged me to start a business offering desktop publishing skills for hire.

After I created a website for myself, I never got a desktop publishing client but I did get requests from people who wanted to know if I could build them a website like mine. (Back then it wasn't so easy to get one up and running.)

My first $100 came in slow. I charged a fellow work at home mom $35 to set up a simple website. I offered to design buttons and banners for $5 and $10. I used to write my client projects on a whiteboard above my desk - with dollar amounts next to them.

Honestly, it felt magical. I did things I knew how to do for people who didn't and got cash paid into my PayPal account. (And my bills got paid!)

This is still a great way to get started. We all know how to do something that other people struggle with or simply don't want to do.

Do I still do tasks for other people? Not in many years - but I'm grateful for that start into online marketing. My life was changed by the people I met and worked with

Karen Robinson

It is easy for me to remember my first $100 online as it wasn’t all that long ago! Outside of my coaching services, I run a full-service digital agency and an eCommerce store. My very first sale was selling a logo at $125. It was super exciting to see the funds hit my Stripe account! Making logos are fairly easy to do on Canva. Since it was my agency’s first one, I requested 10 variations from my team after getting the client’s branding information. We then narrowed it down to 5 variations for the client to select from. It was a great experience as both our team and client were satisfied. A win-win!

My second sale was from my eCommerce store. It included t-shirts and mugs with inspirational products. Opening up an eCommerce store took dedicated time and effort to learn about designs, mock-ups, print-on-demand and dropshipping. Getting traffic to your ecommerce sites is the most challenging part of the work so please consider your marketing plan. Our company now sells eCommerce stores and we are proud to help other women build their empire too!

Need a tip or two?

Don’t give up
Stay consistent
Ask for help
Have a vision
Hire a coach
Hire a team
Have several streams of revenue

Please reach out to our team if we can help you expand your business! https://karenrobinson360.com

Marcy Patterson

I started my online business to show my son it could be done, and that it could be done well! I own theunpopularmom.com and myplrtoolkit.com. My first goals were extra money, grocery money, car payment, and a 18 months after I launched my blog, I am at 1k a month, two months in a row, and the skies not the only limit here! I want to retire myself and possibly hubby too, and teach my son how to do it! 

When I made my first $100, it was on Etsy! It felt amazing! I was thrilled! I'm like, yes, I can do this! It motivated me to go further! Now my son has started his own Etsy store with pod products! 

Crystal Green

I've been in the online world since 2012. When I made my first $100 online doing a sponsored blog post on my first blog it felt outstanding. I did it because it was a chance to use my writing and sales skills in a profitable manner.
I would recommend that any mother seeking to make money online explore ways to earn money using skillsets and resources they already have. There are tons of online resources that will help you determine some options. 

Michelle D. Garrett

I still remember the excitement I had as those Pay Pal alerts came through! Creating budgets was something that came naturally to me. Personally, I had to learn early to make dollars stretch as a single mother and then as a wife with a deployed husband. Professionally, my work often centered around creating a budget for my department and ensuring we stuck to it throughout the year. So when a friend suggested I create a budgeting class, it was nothing for me to put together a quick workbook and offer a meet-up at my home for "Budgeting Divas."

When I shared it online, I had family and friends who wanted to support but weren’t local. This was before Zoom, so I set up a conference call line and hosted a conversation there. That was my first lesson in using what I had to generate income. The biggest lesson I took away from that experience was not to overcomplicate my offerings. If I have the knowledge and there’s someone out there who wants it, delivering it to them in the easiest and most straightforward way was beneficial for us both. When working with newer entrepreneurs or individuals who need to bring in additional income, my first question is typically what do people come to you for. Whether it's information, a skill, or a talent, looking at simple ways to monetize that can kickstart income generation.

Pam Hamilton

I made my first $100.00 online with my new company Building Visibility in October 2020 through an online summit.
It was amazing! I made several hundred dollars that felt like creating money out of thin air! And, I did it through speaking and which is my passion.
I have been an entrepreneur most of my life. But, it has taken a while to really hone in on my genius and the courage to pursue it. Today I make money online from multiple sources. Not enough yet. But there's potential and consistent growth. And more importantly, I love what I do now!
The thing is I had a mother who modeled being a parent and someone who chased after her dreams. So it gave me and my siblings the freedom to do the same.

I gave that same gift to my son.
While running my offline business . . . he had his own desk and computer in my office. We sat there together, him doing his "homework" and me doing paperwork for my clients. By the time he was seven he already knew he wanted to have his own game development company. And, because, I ran my own business, and followed my dreams he believed he could too.

Today, my son runs his own game development company, plays Minecraft with his Mom on Friday evenings, (before he runs off to hang with his friends), and travels the three hundred miles between my home and his for surprise visits . . . just because he can.

Erica Gandy Grant

I started my online journey in 2014. I did not realize it would eventually become a way to supplement our daughter's private school education. I was just blogging about my family life. I've completed several posts for products, and that was good enough for me.
I had the idea for a T-shirt, decided to make it in photoshop and upload it to Amazon Merch. I didn't think anything of it until I got an email from Amazon that they could not deposit my $116 in royalties because my bank account was updated. That was in the Summer of 2016. I was beside myself and definitely updated my banking information. That shirt still sells every summer. In fact, there were 36 sales of that shirt during the summer of 2022.
My online journey started as a hobby but is now a business because of that silly idea for a silly summer camp shirt.
If you really want to make extra money online or start an online business, it is totally doable. My number one tip is just to do it. Don't wait for all your "ducks to be in a row" because they never will be, especially if you are a mom. Do it now and model to your kids that they can do anything.