2 inspiring entrepreneur stories

Did you know that November is Entrepreneurship Month?!

We could think of no better way to kick off Entrepreneurship Month than to share 2 inspiring stories of entrepreneurs. Whether you’re an entrepreneur or aspiring to be one, keep reading!

Melanie Perkins, Cliff Obrecht, and Cameron Adams - Canva

Canva co-founders Cliff Obrecht, Melanie Perkins and Cameron Adams, Canva

If you’re an entrepreneur, especially one with their business on social media, there’s probably a good chance you’ve used Canva (and if not, we suggest checking it out)!

But did you know that Canva is a woman co-owned and co-founded business?

In 2006, Melanie and Cliff (then dating, now married) were University students in Perth Australia. In her spare time, Melanie, then 19, would teach other students design programs in order to earn extra income. During that time, she found that many students found design programs to be challenging and that they’d take a long time to figure out how to use the programs. This is when the idea began to form - as she saw a need for a program that was accessible, easy to use, and collaborative - for any and all users.

Melanie and Cliff pooled together what little resources and experience they had to start their first business, a school yearbook design business which was called Fusion Books. The business was a success but was also a stepping stone for their next business, Canva.

For the first few years, Melanie and Cliff, had little luck attracting investors, Melanie has said she faced over 100 rejections and had travelled to Silicon Valley (all the way from Australia) many times with little success.

In 2012 Melanie and Cliff found a tech founder to partner with, named Cameron Adams (who is also Canva’s Chief Product Officer). With Cameron on board, Canva began around 2013 and their first investments rolled in.

Now, 10 years later, Canva is thriving. In fact, in 2021, it was valued at $40 billion USD.

What can entrepreneurs learn from the story of Canva and founders, Melanie Perkins, Cliff Obrect, and Cameron Adams? Their story is a great reminder that entrepreneurial success doesn't happen overnight. It takes hard work, determination, perseverance, and sometimes, it takes years. It’s a great lesson in not letting 1 or 100 no’s stop you from reaching your goal if you believe in the work that you’re doing. It also highlights the importance of finding the right people to work with.

Richard Branson - Virgin

You’re probably familiar with Richard Branson, after all, the British entrepreneur and Virgin founder is worth nearly 3 billion. But you may not know that his story is pretty inspiring!

Richard often struggled in school due to his dyslexia, and decided to drop out of school at age 16. After dropping out, he began a magazine for students which did have some success. After this, while living in London, his love of music and involvement in the British music scene led him to create Virgin, which he named so because he considered himself a virgin in business. From a mail-order company, it grew into a record shop, and later into the record label Virgin Records. Virgin Records signed talented and popular artists such as the Sex Pistols, Lenny Kravitz, Janet Jackson, Phill Collins, and more - which helped make Virgin a global success.

The company did have some trouble maintaining success in the early 90’s and was sold by Branson (although doing so saddened him), who now had other businesses including Virgin Atlantic. He later opened Virgin Radio and many more business ventures.

Now, in 2023, Richard Branson owns several businesses, including a mobile group, hotels, and more.

What can entrepreneurs learn from Richard Branson? Like Canva’s founders, his story is another great example of success not happening overnight. From high school dropout to billionaire and tycoon - he started small and continued to grow with each business and didn’t let failures or heartbreaks (like selling Virgin Records) stop him. It’s an inspiring lesson that you can achieve amazing things for yourself despite your start.

Want more? Check out our blog for a list of 3 entrepreneurs who started small and built empires!

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