What do underground parties, architecture and not being able to focus have in common?

During my college years, I founded and organised a series of underground techno parties in my city. And as hedonistic as it may sound, it was a lot of work:

• Coming up with the name 
  Bitcharest – a satire of the capital city of Romania, Bucharest, but also a hint at a judgment-free space where daring attitudes were welcomed. The name was more than just a name. It embodied everything the brand stood for.
  
  

• Defining the visual identity 
  I learned Photoshop working on the logo and would oftentimes spend two days on a party flyer until it felt perfect.
  
  

• Designing the website 
  That’s how I learned web design (it was a Tumblr theme).
  
  

• Keeping the community engaged 
  Back then, we only had Facebook, and YouTube was just starting to become a thing. I was taking photos and shooting videos at every party to share afterwards on socials. We also had a SoundCloud account where we shared guest DJs’ mixes. Those were the original “podcasts.”
  
  

• Defining a new party concept 
  When there were five parties every Saturday night, Bitcharest had Sunday day parties. Nobody was doing day parties back then. This was a strategic decision to avoid competition. It worked.
  
  

• Managing the events 
  Find locations, make sure the sound system is good, negotiate with the owner, negotiate with the DJs, make the artwork, promote on socials, etc. A lot of moving parts had to be in sync.
  
  

• Keeping it consistent 
  Even though resources were inexistent, we hosted a total of 22 parties in around 3 years – about 7–8 parties per year.

Growing out of it

Eventually, I felt that Bitcharest wasn’t aligned with my values anymore. Not to mention that my educational journey was suffering due to the time and attention invested into this venture. So I decided to stop.

I went on to finish architecture university, got a job in the domain, and became a responsible member of society. Eventually.

Was it worth it?

So why did I do it? Why didn’t I just stay on my pre-decided path, get decent grades and finish university on time? (It took me one extra year – a total of seven years spent in university.) Why sidetrack and “waste” so much time on something that was so ephemeral?

The answer is: I felt like it.

I didn’t do it for its potential or financial gains. I did it for the joy of doing it.

Like a child who wants to draw or play – they don’t do it for future outcomes. They do it because it brings them joy.

Bonus point:
I learned a lot – design, marketing, branding, community building, etc. Nothing beats real-world experience.

Biggest bonus point:
I met my then-future wife at one of my parties. We are now happily married and have a beautiful son together. How’s that for not following the rules? :)

Do what matters to you

Working on my own project was the greatest feeling I ever felt at that time. 

My ADHD brain was super effective working on all facets of something that was important to me, and I proved to myself that I can actually focus for prolonged periods of time. I guess I just needed to focus on the right thing.

Time has passed since then, but I now experience the same level of excitement and focus when I work on my current venture, ​Jujuc​ – a sustainable, subscription-based toy rotation service.

Like Bitcharest, it’s something I voluntarily started. And being able to obsess over details, own decisions, and try to create the best experience possible for our customers continues to get me excited.

If you have small kids and value quality over quantity, or have friends with small kids and want to offer a different type of gift, do ​check out Jujuc​.

Conclusion

Had I stayed on my path and played by the rules, I would have missed out on great adventures and life lessons.

Had I ignored the excitement I was feeling, I wouldn’t have met my wife or brought another human into this world.

Had I focused on being productive and getting good grades, I would’ve probably still been in a job that I disliked.

Sometimes, you just have to do what “feels right” and excites you – even if that means doing what you shouldn’t do.

“The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.” - Carl Jung

See you next time,
Andrei

——

P.S. A fellow creative entrepreneur, parent to a small child, asked me how do I manage my time effectively between work and being a parent. I was flattered by the question, as it implied I have things figured out. I don’t.

But truth is, when you have a small kid, a large amount of your time is taken away from you and there’s no predictable schedule anymore. That’s why it’s important to use your available time wisely. 

What worked for me was to always know what to focus on next, without having to think about it, while also having the high-level goals visible, to keep me motivated. 

That's why I’ve created and been using a Notion one-page planner with nested to-do lists, for about 4 years. It’s been particularly useful when working on multiple projects at a time and trying to maintain health habits, all while having limited time. 

I’m giving the 2026 template away for free, as a thank you for being subscribed. You can ​find it here​.