Usually, I’m extremely reluctant to publish my successes. I have a well-founded reason, which I’ll discuss below, but today I’ll make an exception. I want to present a “case story” about how a personal need, a small script, and a YouTube video turned into a product sold to 881 customers, generating a valuable lesson about the local market and the power of sharing what you do.
The Context: The Race for Solar Panels
Two years ago, in October 2022, there was madness around the “Casa Verde Fotovoltaice” program from AFM. The principle was simple and brutal: “first come, first served.” To have a chance, you had to fill out and submit an online form within the first seconds of the session opening. Being a programmer, I refused to leave it to my typing speed and did what I know best: I wrote a script to automate the entire process, exponentially increasing my chances.
The “Mistake” That Generated the Opportunity
Proud of my accomplishment, I made a YouTube video where, honestly, I was bragging a bit. I showed people how I was going to use the script to automatically submit the application. I didn’t expect what followed. Instead of simple appreciation, I was flooded with requests: “I want one too!”, “How much does it cost?”, “Give me the script too!”. That’s when I realized that the problem I had solved for myself was, in fact, the problem of thousands of other Romanians.
From Free Project to Pragmatic Product
Initially, I offered the extension for free to the first 500-1000 people. Soon, I understood why “free” is not sustainable: technical support consumed an enormous amount of time, and the first version wasn’t perfect.
So I made a decision: I created a premium version, much improved, which I sold for 100 lei. The result? 881 people bought the extension.
A project born from a personal need generated revenues of over 80,000 lei.
The Complete Lesson: A Reflection on Markets, Competition, and the Courage to Communicate
Now I come to the most important part. Why did I wait two years to tell this story?
First, as an entrepreneur who works predominantly in international markets, I usually avoid developing products for Romania because I consider it a small market. Even though this case study seems like a success – and it is, at its level – for me it was more of a validated experiment. Rarely can the local market generate massive sales sustainably, and this project was an exception, not a rule. I could have asked for a much higher price, but my goal was not to build a business, but simply to cover my support costs for users.
Second, I have an aversion to publishing my successes because of fear of competition. Experience has taught me that when you present a success case, you risk attracting imitators. Many don’t try to understand the concept or innovate, they simply replicate the idea and create competition that doesn’t add value, but only crowds the market.
And yet, the paradox is that without sharing that video, the opportunity would have remained completely hidden. Here lies the real lesson: real validation of an idea almost always comes from outside. The feedback you receive helps you understand the real dimension of demand – a perspective you cannot obtain by working in isolation. Beyond the numbers, success was confirmed by hundreds of thank-you messages from people who managed to submit their projects. The benefit of discovering a market and validating your ideas through sharing often outweighs the risk of being copied.
Update for 2026 and an Important Warning
Why am I only talking now? Because the game has changed. AFM has completely modified the procedure, and the online form has been replaced with a PDF. Therefore, my Chrome extension is now completely useless.
WARNING: If someone tries to sell you a “miracle extension” for the AFM program today, be very skeptical. Most likely, it’s an outdated method that no longer works.
In conclusion, don’t let fear of competition paralyze you. Even in a market you consider small, there can be unexpected opportunities. The risk of being copied exists, but the potential to discover a real need, receive valuable feedback, and grow is, most of the time, much greater.
What experiences have you had? Do you share your successes or keep them to yourself for fear of competition?
