Melanie Perkins: From Scarves to Canva Empire

Melanie Perkins’ First Hustle

Melanie Perkins grew up in Perth, Australia. At just 14, she was already running her first hustle. She sold handmade scarves in local markets. That tiny business gave her a taste of making money from ideas.

She was also a figure skater. Every morning, she woke up at 4:30 a.m. for training. That discipline shaped her mindset. It built her grit, focus, and hunger for big goals.

How Melanie Perkins Found the Idea

Later, at university, Melanie worked as a design tutor. She noticed students struggling with tools like Photoshop. The programs were clunky and hard to learn. Students spent months just finding the right buttons.

She asked herself: “What if design was simple? What if anyone could do it?” That question sparked her vision.

Fusion Books: The First Startup

At 19, Melanie Perkins teamed up with her boyfriend, Cliff Obrecht. Together, they launched Fusion Books. It allowed schools to design and print their yearbooks online.

They started in her mum’s living room with a small budget. Despite that, Fusion Books grew into Australia’s largest yearbook publisher. It was proof that her idea could work.

The Launch of Canva

Melanie wanted more. She dreamed of a platform where anyone, anywhere, could design. But investors kept rejecting her. She pitched Canva more than 100 times before someone finally said yes.

With Cliff and ex-Google engineer Cameron Adams, she built Canva. In 2013, the platform launched. It was drag, drop, design. No stress, no struggle. People loved it.

The Rise of Canva

Today, Canva runs in 190+ countries and supports 100+ languages. Over 35 billion designs have been made on the platform. Beyond business, Melanie and Cliff pledged most of their wealth to charity. Through Canva’s 1% pledge, they fund projects fighting poverty worldwide.

Why Melanie Perkins Inspires Entrepreneurs

Melanie proves you don’t need to be in Silicon Valley to build something huge. She turned a problem into a solution. She stayed resilient, even when doors closed. Her story shows that courage, focus, and vision can build a global empire.