Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Meet Melanie Perkins. At just 34 years of age, she is one of the youngest females to run a tech company valued over $1 billion, has been named the second-wealthiest woman in Australia, and the company that she co-founded, Canva, was recently valued at $40 billion.
So how did she go from selling scarves in a market to creating a multi-billion-dollar empire? Here's five lessons you can learn from Perkins' success.
1. Give back
Perkins and her team have always been big on giving, so after its recent $40 billion valuation, Canva decided to give a 30% stake in the business to a charity that aims to eliminate poverty. This equates to a massive $12 billion donation. I feel it's always important for entrepreneurs to use their business to give back. You can start off small — obviously we aren't all able to give away billions of dollars. Provide time or services to organizations pro bono, and go from there.
Another idea is to partner with a giving impact platform, and for every product sold or project completed, contribute to a cause. My business partners with B1G1, and every time I implement a new PR campaign, I choose a cause that is relevant to the campaign.
2. Never give up
When Perkins first attempted to raise money for Canva, she was told no more than 100 times. Trying to raise capital wasn't easy, especially when she was based in Australia and approaching U.S. investors. For many abroad, Australia is the "land down under" — a place too far away and too risky to invest in. But this didn't stop Perkins. She kept persevering for more than three years until she met investor Bill Tai. Even he didn't invest in Canva, but he helped Perkins and her partner Cliff Obrecht connect with people who could help them grow their business.
Changing your perception when you receive a "no" in business can be quite liberating. When I started out nearly twenty years ago with no clients, I would call people from the Yellow Pages to see if they needed any publicity work. I had the mindset that every "no" is one step closer to that client who would say yes. I realized that it's just statistics: If I call 20 people, one person will likely say yes. This still motivates me 20 years later.
Related: She Was Told 'No' 100 Times. Now This 31-Year-Old Female Founder Runs a $1 Billion Business.
3. Listen to your customers
As entrepreneurs, we all think we have the next best business idea — and often we're right. But what really solidifies an idea and makes it a great success is listening to your potential customer's feedback and building solutions that help support them. Perkins started Canva after feeling frustrated that working with design programs was too complicated. Often you would need to engage a graphic designer, which was quite expensive, and there was no other solution on the market.
Prior to Canva, Perkins and Obrecht had founded Fusion Books, which allows you to create and print your own yearbooks. Listening to Fusion Books customers about what worked and what didn't allowed them to then go on to build Canva.
We must realize that as entrepreneurs, our business is like a living, breathing being and will continue to grow and evolve over time. It's your customers' insights that will help you take your business to the next level. What we initially start out launching will transform into something else, and we shouldn't be stuck on the original concept that we created.
4. Implement your values within your business
Perkins and Obrecht have strong moral values, and they ensure those values are represented in Canva's mission as well. In fact, it's even written into Canva's user guidelines. Its fine print clause 3.2 states: "Canva does not support and will not tolerate its Service being used to discriminate against others, especially when based on race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, ancestry or national origin."
The company even goes as far as saying: "If we believe in our sole determination that your use of the Service is being used to discriminate, especially if based on race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, ancestry or national origin, we may permanently or temporarily terminate or suspend your access to the Service without notice and liability for any reason."
How many companies can say that they have an anti-discrimination clause in their usage or engagement terms? This is inspiring to see and definitely something that many entrepreneurs can learn from. Publicly sharing the values that are embedded within your business's culture will not only resonate with your customers but also attract more members to your tribe.
5. Believe
Many times, Perkins had to believe that she could make a success of what she was setting out to achieve. At just 19, after putting her college degree on hold, she hit the road to try and raise funding for her big idea, but she was continually rejected. It's during these darkest times that you need to rely on your self-belief, which will get through no matter what life throws at you.
Entrepreneurs often forget this lesson, and it's something that we can all do. It could start with a simple daily affirmation or vision board for practicing creative visualization. I used both of these practices in the early days of launching my business — aptly named Believe Advertising & PR — when I had no clients, just a lot of self belief. And let me tell you, this works!
Don't ever be swayed by naysayers, because the easiest thing to find in the world is someone who gives you a whole list of reasons why your big idea will fail. Often people are just scared that you'll achieve your dream when they haven't fulfilled theirs. It's time to prove them wrong.
Building a billion-dollar business is no easy feat, but as the saying goes, if you aim for the moon the worst that will happen is that you'll land on a star. By learning from Perkins' ways, you too could set yourself up for success and create the next unicorn. Fairytales can come true.
Related: From Down Under to On Top: 3 Lessons From Aussie Companies That Are Making Waves In The USA
FAQs
Canva's creation was rooted in Melanie Perkins' unyielding belief in democratising design. The journey began during her college days when she and co-founder Cliff Obrecht envisioned a platform to make graphic design accessible to all.
What motivated Melanie Perkins to create Canva? ›
Canva's creation was rooted in Melanie Perkins' unyielding belief in democratising design. The journey began during her college days when she and co-founder Cliff Obrecht envisioned a platform to make graphic design accessible to all.
What percentage of Canva does Melanie Perkins own? ›
Melanie Perkins (born 1987) is an Australian technology entrepreneur, who is the co-founder and chief executive officer of Canva (with Cliff Obrecht) and owns 18% of the company.
How did Melanie Perkins invent Canva? ›
Perkins conceived the idea for Canva in 2007 while teaching graphic design in Australia. Frustrated with complex and expensive design software, she wanted to create a user-friendly online platform. To test her idea, she started Fusion Books, a successful yearbook design business, with co-founder Cliff Obrecht.
How much are the Canva owners worth? ›
The Australian has just listed Perkins, who is only 34 years old, as part of the Top 10 richest people in the country along with her husband, co-founder and COO Cliff Obrecht. That makes her the second richest woman in Australia. The couple are worth 15.89 billion dollars. Those are some pretty impressive numbers.
What type of entrepreneur is Melanie Perkins? ›
At just 30 years old, Melanie Perkins became one of the youngest female tech unicorn founders when her company, Canva, was valued at $1 billion only five years after its launch in 2013.
How old was Melanie Perkins when she made Canva? ›
Melanie Perkins conceptualised Canva in 2007 when she was just 19 years old.
What made Canva so successful? ›
Canva's growth was fueled by its user-friendly interface and vast library of templates. The platform quickly gained popularity among non-designers who appreciated its simplicity and affordability. By 2015, Canva had over 2.5 million users and had become a global phenomenon.
Why is Canva so valuable? ›
Superior Growth Rates
Canva's growth trajectory significantly outpaces that of Atlassian, making it a standout candidate for a higher valuation multiple. If it were publicly traded, Canva would rank among the fastest-growing software companies.
Is Canva a unicorn? ›
Unicorn-Entrepreneur Melanie Perkins co-founded Canva and built it to a “real” unicorn, i.e., a company with more than $1 billion in valuation and sales, rather than just valuation like a VC-unicorns.
We were thrilled to see many leading US-based brands such as Reddit(opens in a new tab or window) and Zoom(opens in a new tab or window) adopting Canva, too – and as more and more global businesses(opens in a new tab or window) have shifted their focus to supercharging visual communication(opens in a new tab or window) ...
Who funded Canva? ›
Big name investors Goldman Sachs and one of the world's largest pension funds have emerged as new investors in design software firm Canva, as its upcoming blockbuster $US1. 5 billion ($2.28 billion) secondary share sale has left some early investors questioning whether the deal prices the company too low.
Is Canva profitable? ›
It has a strong story to sell to investors in the run-up to its expected listing, having been profitable since 2017, and growing at a rate that would be the envy of most public software companies. In 2023, it added 60 million more monthly active users, which was more than in its first nine years combined.
Who owns Canva stock? ›
CEO Melanie Perkins and COO Cliff Obrecht, the married co-founders of Canva, are estimated to own about 18% each. Cameron Adams, a third founder, owns about 9%. The other ~55% is owned by early employees and private equity investors including Bob Iger, Franklin Templeton, Sequoia Capital, T.
What is Canva's mission? ›
Canva's core mission is centered around empowering individuals and organizations to create visually stunning designs with ease and efficiency.
Is Canva owned by China? ›
No, Canva is not a Chinese app. Canva was founded in Sydney, Australia. Canva was founded by Melanie Perkins, Cliff Obrecht, and Cameron Adams. It is founded on 1 January 2012.
Does Canva own your logo? ›
Canva's logo templates are customizable and can be used by anyone. This means that your rights to the logo are non-exclusive and you can't register it as a trademark.
Who uses Canva the most? ›
Companies using Canva for presentation are majorly from United States with 41,583 customers. 64.00% of Canva customers are from the United States. Other top countries using Canva are United Kingdom and Canada with 5,905(9.09%) and 3,764(5.79%) customers respectively.
How much of Canva does Melanie Perkins own? ›
Canva was launched in 2013 by Perkins, now-husband Cliff Obrecht and Cameron Adams in Sydney, Australia, but was met by investor skepticism due to its location. Like Obrecht, she owns an estimated 18% stake.
Who coded Canva? ›
Canva was founded in Perth, Australia, by Melanie Perkins, Cliff Obrecht and Cameron Adams on 1 January 2013. In its first year, Canva had more than 750,000 users.
In a highly competitive market, Canva differentiates itself through its unique selling proposition. Canva simplifies the graphic design process by offering a user-friendly interface, a vast library of customizable templates, and an extensive collection of high-quality images and graphics.
What problems did Melanie Perkins face? ›
Obstacles Melanie Faced
One of the biggest hurdles was getting investors to believe in her vision. In the early days of Canva, Melanie and her team pitched their idea to more than 100 investors, and they were rejected by all of them. However, this setback did not deter Melanie.
How does Canva make money? ›
Canva generates revenue through a subscription-based model, with additional revenue sources from print products and partnerships. Canva Pro and Canva for Enterprise are subscription plans that offer premium features, including advanced design tools, brand management, and team collaboration.
What is similar to Canva? ›
Best Paid & Free Alternatives to Canva
- Visme.
- Adobe Creative Cloud Express.
- Fotor Photo Editor.
- Marq.
- VistaCreate.
- Adobe Photoshop.
- Prezi.
- Adobe InDesign.
The idea for Canva was sparked by a problem a lot of people were getting frustrated with in the early 2000s: it was 2007, and Melanie was at university teaching her classmates how to design using programs like InDesign and Photoshop – programs that a lot of people at the time were really struggling to learn, let alone ...
What are the purposes of Canva? ›
Launched in 2013, Canva is an online design and visual communication platform with a mission to empower everyone in the world to design anything and publish anywhere.
What is the goal of Canva? ›
Canva's core mission is centered around empowering individuals and organizations to create visually stunning designs with ease and efficiency. By providing an intuitive and user-friendly platform, Canva aims to democratize graphic design and make it accessible to people of all skill levels.
What is the background of the Canva company? ›
History. Canva was founded in Perth, Australia, by Melanie Perkins, Cliff Obrecht and Cameron Adams on 1 January 2013. In its first year, Canva had more than 750,000 users. In April 2014, social media and technology expert Guy Kawasaki joined the company as its chief evangelist (brand promoter).
