Create your very own Auto Publish News/Blog Site and Earn Passive Income in Just 4 Easy Steps
This Side Hustle Spotlight Q&A is with Heather Freeman. Her Facebook page, Coffee. Mom. Repeat., has 850,000 followers and brings in six figures annually. Answers have been edited for length and clarity.
Photo credit: Courtesy of Heather Freeman
What was your main job (or other sources of income) when you started your side hustle?
Before I became an influencer, I worked part-time as a licensed insurance agent and housewife.
When did you start your part-time job and where did you find the inspiration for it?
I started my Facebook page “Coffee. Mom. Repeat.” in 2013 and called it “Mom's Time Out” at the time. In 2016, I started posting affiliate links there. It wasn't until 2018 that it went viral after I posted a ridiculous video of an 80's facial exercise. That same year, I officially changed the name of the Facebook page to “Coffee. Mom. Repeat.” after I had over 100,000 followers. I thought the name was funnier and more catchy.
Related: This 26-year-old's side hustle that “anyone can do” now makes him $170,000 a month. Here's what happened when I tried it.
I started monetizing my content as an influencer because I knew I wanted more out of life for my family – from the ability to travel to a better house – and I wanted to spend more time at home with my daughter. My then-husband worked very hard to provide for the family financially, and I wanted to take some of that burden off of him.
What were the first steps you took to get your side job started?
My cousin told me how her husband made money through affiliate marketing – sharing links to online retailers and earning commissions from the sales. I found this very interesting and asked him about it. He explained to me how it worked and I decided to apply for the Amazon Associates program, since that was the only program I knew about at the time.
I started posting on my little meme page and made $100 in the first month. From there, I started researching everything I could find on Pinterest and Google. Affiliate marketing and influencing were still very new, so it was a lot of trial and error.
Related: This 27-year-old started a side job on Facebook Marketplace – now he earns over $500,000 a month
I've built a good reputation with my followers so they know that what I'm offering them is a good product. I share real reviews of products I love and post regularly.
In 2023, I started using the influencer marketing platform Mavely to create affiliate shopping links to share with my followers. Mavely has been a huge part of my success because it has allowed me to earn commissions from various online retailers that my followers love, and I have hundreds of brand partners to choose from.
What were the biggest challenges you faced when setting up your side business and how did you overcome them?
Online algorithms, for sure! It's a challenge when one post reaches 500,000 people, but another only reaches 2,500. Managing that was a challenge so that my followers still see what I post.
In addition to my posts on Facebook, I have an email list where I highlight some great deals of the day. I also sometimes link in my Instagram stories.
Related: This former housewife started a side job with “no experience” that has earned her over $500,000 – and she works no more than an hour a day
How long did it take you to start generating regular monthly income? How much did you earn from the side job?
In the beginning, I was making a consistent $100-150 a month. It wasn't until 2019 that my income started to rise to four and five figures. To date, I make an average of $14,000 a month. My best month was almost $30,000, and my lowest (recently) was $8,900.
What do you enjoy most about this business?
The flexibility! I can go on vacation tomorrow if I want and just make sure I have my laptop with me so I can keep working. I was able to work in the middle of the ocean, from a resort in the Maldives and fly high in the air during my trip.
Related: This mom started a side hustle after a 'shocking' discovery on the toy shelf. Her product was in Macy's within a year — and generated nearly $350,000 in sales.
What advice would you give to others who want to start a successful side job or their own business?
Just start and don't be afraid to review your game plan regularly. You'll have days where you succeed and others where you completely fail, but as long as you keep trying, you'll find what works for you. Success doesn't come overnight either. You need patience – lots of it!
Create your very own Auto Publish News/Blog Site and Earn Passive Income in Just 4 Easy Steps
