Celebrating 10 Years of BIM Pure - Inside the Origin Story

Post written by Nicolas Catellier, founder of BIM Pure.

BIM Pure launched 10 years ago.

In this post, I explain the story and how it got started.

Revit Pure Origin

BIM Pure started as Revit Pure, launched on July 1st, 2016. But the real story started more than a year before.

I became a licensed architect in 2014. Then I thought... what's next? Should I start my own practice? That sounded like a daunting idea.

Also, I had expertise in BIM and design tech, and I recognized that this skill would be helpful to others. I did enjoy my job and didn't really want to quit. I wanted a side hustle.

It was becoming clear that I would launch an online project linked to my expertise as a Revit/BIM expert. I wasn't sure what exactly at first. My initial idea was to sell Revit families.

I was working at an architecture firm, and noticed that my colleagues were bored with Revit books and the rare videos I could find.

At the office, I spent lots of time teaching "over-the-shoulder". That means giving quick 10-minute instructions on how to accomplish a task or use a tool.

I also started creating short, concise, graphically pleasing PDF guides for my colleagues.

Then I thought... what if you create an entire learning project based on this idea?

Revit Made Simple

As I was searching for a name, I remember typing hundreds of possibilities into a Word document. Some of them included Revit Warrior and Revit Wizard.

But I realized most other Revit blogs and YouTube channels were named after a person: Revit Kid, Revit Jedi, Revit Geek, etc.

What if instead, the name indicates a state of mind?

The word I had in mind was Simple. I was also inspired by Headspace, an emerging meditation app with the slogan "Meditation made simple."

More than the name and headline, I was inspired by the approach. Back in 2015, meditation was more niche and associated with spirituality, religion, and Buddhism. Headspace had a playful vibe, with cute illustrations.

I started googling for synonyms of Simple.

Pure immediately stood out.

Pure

At the time, I was listening a lot to Lorde's album called Pure Heroine. Which is, of course, a word play and a double meaning. But I enjoyed the minimal album cover that went along with it.

Graphic Brainstorming

From the get-go, it was clear I wouldn't accept boring graphic design. I would treat the project as an architectural design project, where every design decision needs to have global coherence.

I noticed that most Revit/BIM blogs had an incredibly boring aesthetic reminiscent of a mid-2000s technical brief. Most Revit teachers come from a more technical background and are not preoccupied with graphic design

I also wanted colors. Architects are obsessed with blacks. I wanted the opposite.

I opened an Adobe Illustrator document and started experimenting with hundreds of possible logos, fonts, and overall vibe ideas. That was in the summer of 2015, almost 1 year before the project actually launched. Here is a screenshot of the original Illustrator file:

Setting the foundations for a Revit learning business

I would love to say my intentions were purely noble, and that my only goals were to spread knowledge upon the world. But I intended from the get-go to commercialize Revit Pure with paid courses. I started reading dozens of business books and blogs to understand how that works.

I had the vision early on of a set of courses that would each focus on a specific aspect of Revit. In my head, I could create all of these within a year. (I was wrong)

Launching Revit Pure

15 months after having the initial spark and idea to create this Revit learning hub, Revit Pure launched on July 1st, 2016, two and a half months after the birth of my first daughter, Delphine. I won't lie, the few months of paternity leave were helpful to get the project going. I would take care of her, and then sneak in some work on the projects during naps.

Revit Pure seemed to work pretty much from the get-go. It was quite unique in the blog/YouTube space. Here was the original homepage:

The Birth of Pamphlets

The best advice I got was to build an email list. Social media is unstable. A change to the algorithm can kill you. But how exactly to build an email list?

At the time, I noticed most websites had a newsletter signup form. Isn't that boring?

I had the idea of Pamphlets: 1 PDF per season, delivered by email. Each issue focuses on a Revit issue that users find problematic.

It worked. We started to grow the mailing list really fast.

Launching Paid Products

I still had a day job, so I would wake up at 5 AM to work for one hour before the day began. I was building BASICS, our first paid product.

It took a while, but it eventually launched in April of 2017. It generated about $2,000 in revenue during the launch period. That wasn't much, but I was incredibly excited that people were actually willing to pay for it.

I never abandoned, kept creating content, kept working on new courses.

When the side-hustle outgrows the day job

Something magical happened in 2019: the revenue from the Revit Pure side hustle passed what I was making in my day job as an architect. I didn't quite know what to make of this fact. I liked my job as an architect. Still stayed there for 2 more years.

Going full-time on BIM Pure in 2021

In early 2021, during COVID lockdowns, everything flipped.

Business was a bit slower than usual at my day job. I was assigned to incredibly boring projects (parking).

One day, I got up and decided I would quit my job and pursue BIM Pure full-time.

Tripling BIM Pure in a year

In retrospect, 2021 was probably the most fruitful year of my career.

- Launched BIM Pure Live, hosted dozens of experts. Viewership was high because all the conferences were canceled.

- Hired a part-time marketing expert and assistant (hello, Elizabeth!) who is still on the team.

- Won an award at Autodesk University for my session about Revit railings.

- Launched our MANAGE course for Revit along with the PRO Template. Probably the product I am still the most proud of.

Financially speaking, the revenue tripled. The decision to pursue BIM Pure full-time was validated.

Refining BIM Pure Vibe

During that 2021 era, I was obsessed with creating the perfect vibe for BIM Pure. Some would describe this as a "brand", but for me, it was finding an artistic voice that would match what I was attempting to do. I made a few decisions that would be deemed irrational by traditional business measures.

One day, I was browsing Instagram and was stunned by the art of Denise Rashidi. I contacted her and asked if she would create a cover art for our new course. It wasn't cheap: $2.5k. Probably not a "rational" investment, but it felt right to me. This is the result:

At the time, I was also listening to a lot of trap/lo-fi/chill music on YouTube. I stumbled upon the work of Ile Flottante. I ask to create a theme song for our new course. It became the "BIM Pure Theme" you can hear at the beginning of our live episodes.

It makes me quite sad to think that in the AI era, a machine will generate the brand in 5 minutes. To me, it was an emotional, artistic journey to find the correct atmosphere and collaborate with real humans.

Pursuing Growth

After the successes of 2021, I was wondering... Now what? Where is this going?

I've realized that every success I've had has had two things in common:

- Trying things that were slightly uncomfortable, scary, and out of my comfort zone.

- Following my instincts.

And, conversely, every time I tried to follow "traditional" advice and paths, things didn't really work out and made me feel stressed.

Get out of your comfort zone. Follow your instinct. Not always easy to do so.

Expanding the BIM Pure-verse

It was time to convert Revit Pure into BIM Pure. The brand needed to evolve. This time, I didn't want to spend hours in an Illustrator file. I wanted to work with experts. I hired agence M, a local firm in Quebec City. I told them that I wanted the brand to be inspired by the art of Denise, and have unique colors you don't typically see in BIM/AEC (purple and pink).

They come up with a few options for the BIM Pure logo. When I saw this one, I knew it was the right one.

Designing the future of BIM Pure

Here is what happened to BIM Pure in the last few years:

- We worked with several clients to help them implement BIM at their companies.

- We launch a new membership in early 2024.

- We collaborated with dozens of experts to create actionable learning content.

- A small Revit API development team was formed, creating bespoke Revit addins.

- Doubled down on the media aspect: YouTube videos & lives, blog post, LinkedIn, newsletter.

All to say this isn't always easy. It feels like you constantly have to reinvent yourself while staying true to the original mission and core.

What's next for BIM Pure? We have much more on the pipelines, which we'll reveal in a few months.

Get Started

I have an invitation for all readers: how can you push your own limits and evolve? I feel there is a scenario where I didn't start this project, and I wouldn't have had the connections with all the brilliant leaders and creators I meet every day. The answer isn't that everyone should start a business, but ask yourself how you can fulfill your life and make the best of your unique talents.