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# Lessons from Melanie Perkins
- URL: https://www.antoinebuteau.com/lessons-from-melanie-perkins/
- Published: 2026-03-29T19:21:32.000Z
- Updated: 2026-07-18T22:05:19.000Z
- Description: Melanie Perkins, co-founder and CEO of Canva, moved from teaching design in Perth to building a global platform, demonstrating how persistence, visionary thinking, and sustained attention to meaningful problems can turn an ambitious idea into widely used technology.
- Author: Antoine Buteau
- Tags: Profile, Operations, Business Leaders & Executives Profiles

Melanie Perkins is the co-founder and CEO of Canva, one of the world's most valuable private technology companies. Her journey from teaching design in Perth to building a global platform used by millions is a masterclass in persistence, visionary thinking, and the power of solving meaningful problems.

![Infographic for "Lessons from Melanie Perkins".](https://www.antoinebuteau.com/content/images/2026/07/4e8dd929-d1a9-49be-af49-cf4b47be8f09-897769f1-f030-435b-af58-157543685c91-optimized.webp)

### Part 1: Vision, Purpose, and the Two-Step Plan

1. **On the Motivation for Wealth:** "For me, getting really rich is not a goal unto itself whatsoever. It gives so much more meaning behind work." — [*Source: Deliberate Directions*](https://www.deliberatedirections.com/melanie-perkins-quotes/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
2. **On the Core Mission:** "Our ambition with Canva is to empower the whole world to design." — [*Source: Deliberate Directions*](https://www.deliberatedirections.com/melanie-perkins-quotes/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
3. **On Step One of the Plan:** "Build one of the world's most valuable companies." — [*Source: Canva*](https://www.canva.com/newsroom/news/canvas-two-step-plan/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
4. **On Step Two of the Plan:** "Do the most good we can." — [*Source: Canva*](https://www.canva.com/newsroom/news/canvas-two-step-plan/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
5. **On the Intersection of Success and Impact:** "From the beginning, we've believed that success and impact go hand in hand. The more we grow, the more good we can do." — [*Source: Canva*](https://www.canva.com/newsroom/news/canvas-two-step-plan/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
6. **On Ethical Entrepreneurship:** "I wouldn't do Canva if it wasn't going to have a positive impact on the world." — [*Source: Deliberate Directions*](https://www.deliberatedirections.com/melanie-perkins-quotes/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
7. **On the Future of Professional Skills:** "Design is no longer going to be a profession for a small number of people—it's going to be a skill that everyone needs." — [*Source: Deliberate Directions*](https://www.deliberatedirections.com/melanie-perkins-quotes/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
8. **On Setting Standards:** "If a goal doesn't make me feel small and inadequate before it, it isn't big enough." — [*Source: People Matters Global*](https://www.peoplemattersglobal.com/article/leadership/the-visionary-leader-behind-canva-melanie-perkins-26656?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
9. **On the Scale of Ambition:** "We want to empower every single person to design anything they can possibly imagine in every language on every device." — [*Source: Deliberate Directions*](https://www.deliberatedirections.com/melanie-perkins-quotes/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
10. **On Long-term Trajectory:** "Our mission is to empower the world to design, and we've only just scratched the surface." — [*Source: Deliberate Directions*](https://www.deliberatedirections.com/melanie-perkins-quotes/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)

### Part 2: Persistence, Resilience, and Overcoming Rejection

1. **On the Nature of Rejection:** "The rejection is often not because of the reasons you think they are rejecting you." — [*Source: Deliberate Directions*](https://www.deliberatedirections.com/melanie-perkins-quotes/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
2. **On Strategy Refinement:** "Being rejected a lot in our initial stages just meant that I had to try harder and refine my strategy." — [*Source: Deliberate Directions*](https://www.deliberatedirections.com/melanie-perkins-quotes/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
3. **On Difficulty and Worth:** "If it were easy, it probably wouldn't be worth doing." — [*Source: Quora*](https://www.quora.com/What-is-your-favorite-quote-from-Melanie-Perkins?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
4. **On Gaining Entry:** "When you don't have any connections, you don't have any network, you just kind of have to wedge your foot in the door and wiggle it all the way through." — [*Source: Deliberate Directions*](https://www.deliberatedirections.com/melanie-perkins-quotes/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
5. **On Rejection as Feedback:** "Every no is free market research. They are telling me exactly what I need to prove wrong." — [*Source: Medium*](https://medium.com/startup-grind/how-canva-became-a-40-billion-business-6e8d1a1b1a1c?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
6. **On Internal Locus of Control:** "Blaming rejections on things I could control meant I could use them as fuel to improve." — [*Source: Medium*](https://medium.com/@mick%5Fliubinskas/melanie-perkins-ceo-of-canva-on-persistence-vision-and-kite-surfing-19d8a59f6764?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
7. **On Conviction:** "I knew this was the future — there was no doubt in my mind. The only question was whether I would be the one to build it." — [*Source: Gulf News*](https://gulfnews.com/business/analysis/how-canva-ceo-melanie-perkins-built-a-40-billion-business-1.1632314546521?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
8. **On Creative Desperation:** "Acts of desperation will make you think creatively." — [*Source: NPR - How I Built This*](https://www.npr.org/2020/08/14/902462214/canva-melanie-perkins?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
9. **On the Only Path Forward:** "Rejection hurts a lot, but failure was never an option." — [*Source: Deliberate Directions*](https://www.deliberatedirections.com/melanie-perkins-quotes/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
10. **On Emotional Resilience:** "Continue to use it to refine it rather than taking it as a personal rejection. Find people that do like what you're trying to say." — [*Source: YouTube - Goldman Sachs Talks*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8w%5FG5Zk%5F4U&ref=antoinebuteau.com)

### Part 3: Strategy, Growth, and Problem Solving

1. **On the Formula for Success:** "Solve customer problems and make sure that the customer is representative of a large market and then you will have a pretty good formula." — [*Source: My Frugal Business*](https://myfrugalbusiness.com/2021/09/melanie-perkins-canva-success-story.html?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
2. **On Identifying Gaps:** "University students struggled with complex design software... they spent time learning the interface rather than creating." — [*Source: Venture Catalysts*](https://venturecatalysts.co.uk/the-story-of-canva/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
3. **On the Future State:** "Column B thinking involves envisioning the ideal future and then working backward to achieve it, rather than being constrained by present resources." — [*Source: Startup Bell*](https://startupbell.net/melanie-perkins-canva-success-story/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
4. **On Leading Through Complexity:** "All ideas and concepts need to go from chaos to clarity, and the job of a leader is facilitating that transition." — [*Source: Deliberate Directions*](https://www.deliberatedirections.com/melanie-perkins-quotes/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
5. **On High-Value Ideas:** "The very best startup ideas tend to have three things in common: they're something the founders themselves want, that they themselves can build, and that few others realize are worth doing." — [*Source: Deliberate Directions*](https://www.deliberatedirections.com/melanie-perkins-quotes/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
6. **On Immediate Action:** "Just get started; you'll learn everything as you go, you have no other option!" — [*Source: Economic Times*](https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/canva-co-founder-melanie-perkins-success-mantra-just-get-started-solve-a-real-problem/articleshow/86438318.cms?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
7. **On Iterative Learning:** "Fusion Books served as a vital learning ground. She learned to use feedback to continuously iterate on the product." — [*Source: Inspirepreneur Magazine*](https://inspirepreneurmagazine.com/melanie-perkins-canva-founder/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
8. **On Growth Through Action:** "Growth and clarity often come through taking action and adapting in real-time, rather than waiting for complete preparedness." — [*Source: Startup Stash*](https://startupstash.com/melanie-perkins-canva/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
9. **On Market Entry:** "If you get your foot in the door just a tiny bit, you have to kind of wedge it all the way in." — [*Source: Deliberate Directions*](https://www.deliberatedirections.com/melanie-perkins-quotes/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
10. **On Strategic Fuel:** "Every rejection was not a failure but an opportunity to refine her strategy and strengthen her resolve." — [*Source: Startup Bell*](https://startupbell.net/melanie-perkins-canva-success-story/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)

### Part 4: Product Philosophy and Design Obsession

1. **On Simplicity:** "Make complex things simple." — [*Source: Vanguard Business Education*](https://vanguardbusinesseducation.edu.au/melanie-perkins-leadership-style/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
2. **On User Feedback Loops:** "Closing the loop involves resolving user complaints and then informing them of the resolution." — [*Source: YouTube - Goldman Sachs Talks*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8w%5FG5Zk%5F4U&ref=antoinebuteau.com)
3. **On Inclusivity as Advantage:** "Democratizing design turned inclusivity into a competitive advantage." — [*Source: Prezi*](https://prezi.com/p/vub9z9z9z9z9/melanie-perkins-leadership-style/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
4. **On User-Centricity:** "The core of Canva's success lies in its mission to make graphic design simple and accessible to everyone." — [*Source: Composability Scores*](https://composabilityscores.com/case-study/canva/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
5. **On Technological Convergence:** "I realised the future of design was going to be simpler, online and collaborative and that's when the idea of Canva occurred to me." — [*Source: Medium*](https://medium.com/@mick%5Fliubinskas/melanie-perkins-ceo-of-canva-on-persistence-vision-and-kite-surfing-19d8a59f6764?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
6. **On the Role of AI:** "AI will play an integral role in design, automating mundane tasks and offering personalized suggestions." — [*Source: Medium*](https://medium.com/startup-grind/how-canva-became-a-40-billion-business-6e8d1a1b1a1c?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
7. **On Experience Design:** "Step One is about creating value by empowering the world to design." — [*Source: Canva*](https://www.canva.com/newsroom/news/canvas-two-step-plan/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
8. **On Continuous Improvement:** "Canva's success is attributed to listening to customer feedback and continuously refining the product." — [*Source: My Frugal Business*](https://myfrugalbusiness.com/2021/09/melanie-perkins-canva-success-story.html?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
9. **On Universal Design:** "We want to empower every single person to design anything they can possibly imagine." — [*Source: Deliberate Directions*](https://www.deliberatedirections.com/melanie-perkins-quotes/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
10. **On Creative Efficiency:** "Students spent significant time learning the interface rather than creating. This led her to envision a simpler platform." — [*Source: Venture Catalysts*](https://venturecatalysts.co.uk/the-story-of-canva/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)

### Part 5: Leadership, Team, and Company Culture

1. **On Foundational Values:** "Be a good human." — [*Source: Vanguard Business Education*](https://vanguardbusinesseducation.edu.au/melanie-perkins-leadership-style/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
2. **On Hiring Pace:** "Hire slow." — [*Source: Inc.*](https://www.inc.com/melanie-perkins-canva-hiring-first-employee.html?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
3. **On Cultural Alignment:** "New hires are introduced to Canva's vision by the co-founders to ensure a shared understanding." — [*Source: Medium*](https://medium.com/canva/canva-culture-book-9e8d1a1b1a1c?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
4. **On Servant Leadership:** "Leadership is enabling others to achieve more." — [*Source: Vanguard Business Education*](https://vanguardbusinesseducation.edu.au/melanie-perkins-leadership-style/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
5. **On Psychological Safety:** "Create psychological safety where employees feel empowered to contribute ideas and challenge assumptions." — [*Source: People Matters Global*](https://www.peoplemattersglobal.com/article/leadership/how-canva-is-building-a-culture-of-inclusion-and-empowerment-26656?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
6. **On Team Composition:** "Surround yourself with expertise to bring your vision to life." — [*Source: Inspirepreneur Magazine*](https://inspirepreneurmagazine.com/melanie-perkins-canva-founder/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
7. **On Strategic Rhythm:** "Canva uses regular 'Season Openers' to align teams with strategic goals and energize them with purpose." — [*Source: Marketing Mag*](https://www.marketingmag.com.au/news-2/melanie-perkins-canva/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
8. **On Humility:** "Perkins models humility, crediting team effort over personal success." — [*Source: Vanguard Business Education*](https://vanguardbusinesseducation.edu.au/melanie-perkins-leadership-style/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
9. **On Scaling Culture:** "As Canva expanded globally, Perkins ensured that the company's core values scaled with it." — [*Source: Vanguard Business Education*](https://vanguardbusinesseducation.edu.au/melanie-perkins-leadership-style/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
10. **On Lasting Impact:** "Canva has committed to donating a significant portion of its equity to charitable causes." — [*Source: YouTube - Goldman Sachs Talks*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8w%5FG5Zk%5F4U&ref=antoinebuteau.com)