Who am I?
Hey - I’m Giedrius. I’m 27, a cybersecurity engineer by day, and a solo builder by night.
Over the past 5 years, I’ve built scrapers, launched niche sites, flipped domains, tested tools, and failed more times than I can count. I never quit my job, never sold the dream. I just kept showing up — learning, experimenting, building.
During that time, I worked a full-time in cybersecurity — first as a penetration tester, later as a security engineer (currently at Vinted). I chased every title and collected more certifications than I probably needed: CompTIA Security+, CEH, CEH Practical, CEH Master, OSCP, CISSP.
Eventually, the pace caught up with me. I burned out.
But it also brought clarity. I realized it’s not about chasing every trend — it’s about playing the long game, building around what fits you, and managing your energy.
That’s what I’m doing now. And this Substack is part of it.
What is this Substack about?
This is a space for people who want to build online - without burning out.
I share what I’ve learned (and what I’m still learning) about building sustainable one-person projects — side hustles that don’t kill your energy, online businesses with real upside, and tools that give you leverage instead of stealing your time.
What you’ll find here:
🔍 Deep-dive case studies of online businesses and monetization models
✍️ Honest lessons from my own projects — wins, failures, pivots
🛡️ Cybersecurity insights for solo builders (from operational security, to business model risks)
⚙️ Smart use of automation, AI, and scraping — what still works, what doesn’t
🧰 Systems, templates, and playbooks for building solo — if I use it, I share it
💬 Real talk about burnout, motivation, and managing energy while juggling a career
Why Subscribe?
While I’ll share a lot publicly, some of the case studies and tactics will be subscriber-only.
Why?
I’m putting serious effort into this — subscriber support keeps it sustainable.
Many tactics and ideas work best before they get saturated. Sharing them publicly helps no one in the long run.
If you're building something real, early signals and low-noise strategy matter — and I want to protect that.
Why I’m worth listening to
I’ve worked in cybersecurity as a penetration tester, engineer, and consultant. That gave me sharp analytical skills and a critical mindset — useful when cutting through hype and spotting real opportunity.
I’ve also been solo building for over 5 years — failing publicly and learning privately. No shortcuts. No overnight success. Just steady, compounding improvement.
If you're tired of hustle culture, allergic to hype, but still believe in building something meaningful online — this space is for you.
Let’s build smarter. One project at a time.
