Melanie Perkins

Co-founder and CEO of Canva

Melanie Perkins

Melanie Perkins grew up in Perth, Australia, far from the tech hubs of Silicon Valley. Her parents were hardworking immigrants. From a young age, she showed an entrepreneurial spirit. At 14, she started selling handmade scarves at local markets.

"I never forgot the freedom and excitement of being able to build a business," Perkins recalls.

While studying at university, Perkins noticed how difficult it was for students to learn complex design software. She saw an opportunity to simplify graphic design for everyone. This sparked the idea that would become Canva.

Perkins dropped out of university at 19 to pursue her vision. She and her boyfriend Cliff Obrecht started small with Fusion Books, an online yearbook design business. They ran it from her mother's living room with almost no resources.

"My mum's living room became my office, and my boyfriend became my business partner," Perkins says.

But Perkins had bigger dreams. She wanted to create a platform that would make design accessible to all. Pursuing this goal meant facing constant rejection. Perkins pitched to over 100 investors. Most said no.

"Rejection hurts, a lot, but failure was never an option," Perkins explains.

She persevered, refining her pitch after each rejection. Perkins even learned to kitesurf to network with investors who enjoyed the sport. Her determination paid off when she secured initial funding in 2013.

Canva launched that year, offering a simple drag-and-drop interface for creating designs. Growth was explosive. Within a year, Canva had over 150,000 users.

Today, Canva is a global success story. It has over 60 million monthly active users in 190 countries. The company is valued at $40 billion. Perkins, once rejected by countless investors, is now one of the world's youngest female tech billionaires.

But for Perkins, success isn't just about personal wealth. She and Obrecht have pledged to give away 30% of Canva to charity.

"It has felt strange when people refer to us as 'billionaires' as it has never felt like our money, we've always felt that we're purely custodians of it," Perkins wrote in a blog post.

Perkins' journey from selling scarves to leading a tech giant embodies the power of persistence. She identified a problem, envisioned a solution, and refused to give up despite countless setbacks.

"As a leader, I feel my job is to set the vision and the goals for the company, and then to work with everyone to empower them to dream big and crazy," Perkins says.

Her story shows that with enough determination, even the wildest dreams can become reality. From a living room in Perth to boardrooms around the world, Melanie Perkins turned rejection into a billion-dollar success.

Lessons

Lesson 1: Embrace rejection as a learning opportunity. You'll face countless rejections on your entrepreneurial journey. Don't let them discourage you. Instead, use them as fuel to improve. Melanie Perkins pitched to over 100 investors before securing funding for Canva. She recalls, "Rejection hurts, a lot, but failure was never an option." After each rejection, she refined her pitch and approach. This persistence eventually paid off when she secured initial funding in 2013.

Lesson 2: Start small, but dream big. You don't need to launch with a fully-formed product. Begin with a smaller, more manageable version of your idea. Perkins started with Fusion Books, an online yearbook design business, before expanding to Canva. She says, "My mum's living room became my office, and my boyfriend became my business partner." This small start allowed her to test her concept and gain valuable experience before tackling the larger vision.

Lesson 3: Learn new skills to network effectively. You might need to step out of your comfort zone to connect with the right people. Perkins learned kitesurfing to network with investors who enjoyed the sport. This unconventional approach demonstrates the lengths you might need to go to make crucial connections. It's about finding common ground, even if it means acquiring new skills.

Lesson 4: Be prepared to pivot. You must be willing to adapt your idea based on feedback and market demands. Perkins initially focused on the education sector with Fusion Books but pivoted to a broader market with Canva. She advises, "Solve customer problems and make sure that the customer is representative of a large market and then you will have a pretty good formula".

Melanie Perkins Quotes

On vision: "You have to believe in yourself and your vision for a very long time before anyone else will.”

On rejection: "The rejection is often not because of the reasons you think they are rejecting you. Use each 'no' to refine your approach."

On opportunity: "Plant lots and lots of seeds and hopefully one will grow. You never know which connection or idea will be the one that takes off."

On determination: "If you are determined and want it, you can just go for it. Your background or circumstances don't define your potential for success."

On giving back: "Success isn't just about personal wealth. Remember, you're purely a custodian of your success, use it to make a positive impact."

On company culture: "Your job as a leader is to empower your team to dream big and crazy alongside you."

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Melanie Perkins

Melanie Perkins

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