How a Frustrated Teacher Accidentally Built a $40 Billion Company

What do you get when you mix a university assignment, a clunky design tool, and a determined 19-year-old who knew there had to be a better way?

Answer: one of the most unexpected entrepreneurial success stories of the last decade.

Let’s talk about Melanie Perkins—the co-founder of Canva.

It Started with a Struggle

Back in 2007, Melanie wasn’t a CEO or tech prodigy. She was a college student in Perth, Australia, teaching graphic design to her classmates.

And she kept seeing the same thing:
Frustration.

Tools like Photoshop and InDesign were powerful, sure—but ridiculously hard to learn. Most students didn’t want to spend weeks figuring out how to add text to an image or move a logo around.

So Melanie thought, What if there was a drag-and-drop tool that anyone could use to design anything?

A simple idea. Not world-changing. Not revolutionary. Just helpful.

She didn’t have VC funding or Silicon Valley connections.
She had an idea, a laptop, and a whole lot of persistence.

From Yearbooks to Unicorns

Melanie’s first move wasn’t to build “the next big thing.”
She and her boyfriend Cliff started small, launching a website called Fusion Books—an online tool that let students design their own school yearbooks.

It worked. Schools loved it. And more importantly, it proved the idea had legs.

But Melanie wasn’t done. She believed her tool could help everyone—not just students.

So she started pitching the bigger vision: a global platform for everyday design. Over 100 investors said no.

She kept going.

Eventually, an ex-Google exec took a chance on her. They brought on a tech co-founder. They built the early version of Canva.

And when it launched in 2013, it didn’t just work.
It took off.

Today, Canva has over 150 million users and is valued at more than $40 billion.

Not bad for someone who just wanted to make school projects a little less painful.

What Can We Learn From Melanie?

✅ Start with a real problem
She didn’t sit around trying to come up with a billion-dollar idea—she solved a problem she saw every day.

✅ Start small
She didn’t launch Canva right away. She tested the concept with a narrow audience and proved it worked.

✅ Persistence beats pedigree
She didn’t have a background in tech or design software. But she had grit. That was enough.

✅ Rejection isn’t the end
100+ investors passed. That didn’t stop her. The right yes eventually came.

If Melanie’s story shows us anything, it’s this:

👉 Great ideas are everywhere. But execution? That’s where the magic happens.

If you’re sitting on an idea—or waiting for the “perfect” one—this article might give you the nudge you need:
Idea vs. Execution: Which Is More Important for New Entrepreneurs?

You don’t need to have it all figured out.
You just need to start.

—Dennis

P.S. Who knew school yearbooks would be the gateway to a design empire? Just another happy accident.

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