Three tips for today’s startup founders from Canva co-founders Melanie Perkins and Cameron Adams

On a recent afternoon at Canva headquarters, perched high above the tangled streets of Surry Hills, the sun shone on Melanie Perkins. 

The CEO and her two co-founders, chief operating officer Cliff Obrecht and chief product officer Cameron Adams, had taken to the company’s rooftop terrace to mingle with reporters ahead of the company’s latest product launch. 

The team said its new Visual Worksuite, a collection of graphic design tools and collaborative document editing features, was the future of Canva. 

But the launch also provided an opportunity for reflection: both on the decade of hard work which led to Visual Worksuite, and the crucial business lessons Canva’s leaders learned along the way. 

There on the rooftop, SmartCompany Plus asked Perkins a question: what advice would she give herself if she were to start Canva today?

And, in a separate interview, we asked Adams for his own advice to today’s would-be startup founders.

Here’s what they said.

Founder advice from Canva’s Melanie Perkins and Cameron Adams

1. Dream big

2. Take the first step, today

3. Prioritise people

Dream big

‘Thinking big’ is a common refrain in the startup space, suggesting the only barrier between well-meaning founders and success is the scope of their imagination.

Perkins has a different take on that tired advice.

Today’s founders should absolutely chase their “big wild dreams”, she says, but must also think beyond their own startup to intentionally map out the trajectory of their entire industry.

“What does the future of the industry look like in 10 years’ time? What would you like the world to look like in 10 years time?” Perkins said.

“Ask these really big, bold questions.”

For Perkins and Obrecht, the answer to their big, bold questions was obvious: visual communication was only becoming more vital, but few options existed to serve the growing demand for graphic design platforms.

Those thoughts about the future of publishing and graphic design helped Canva grow out of Fusion Books, which Perkins and Obrecht originally launched as a simple yearbook editor, and into one of Australia’s most valuable companies.

The launch of Visual Worksuite — and the ascension of Canva to one of the nation’s most recognisable tech exports — would not have been possible if the leadership team didn’t dream big while also taking the state of an entire industry into account.

“We envisaged the future, like, ‘This is definitely what the future of publishing and design is gonna look like’,” she said.

Take the first step, today

Forecasting the future of an entire sector can be daunting. Perkins’ second lesson: don’t let the scope of those changes deter you from getting started.

The “other side” of methodically assessing your industry is taking stock of what you can achieve today, Perkins says.

“Then you can take your first tiny little step in that direction,” she added, reflecting on her earlier work with Fusion Publishing.

“And that was certainly the case with what we did with Canva.”

More simply: it’s vital for founders not to be overawed by the scope of their mission.

“So don’t get scared about the really big vision and not take the first step,” she said.

“Be able to hold those two things at the same time.”

Adams says there are “a thousand and one” things he would tell himself if he were to help launch Canva today.

But simply getting started was his first piece of advice. It’s a call to action which still makes sense, even when market conditions are tough for early-stage projects.

“I’d tell myself not to worry about the current market,” he said.

“There’s no ‘good’ moment to start your startup.

“Because when you’re thinking about a startup, it is a long journey, it’s not something that you’re gonna launch in a year and exit — like, if you’re thinking that way, I would suggest you just go get a job somewhere else.”

The point was clear. There will always be a market for strong ideas and well-constructed products, regardless of investment conditions, so company founders must have something to show when those opportunities arise.

“We’ve been on this journey for 10 years,” he added.

“And there’s a hell of a lot more to go as well.

“So I don’t think there is a good time to start. Probably the best time to start is yesterday, as the old cliche says.”

Better get going, then.

Prioritise people

The trio of Perkins, Obrecht, and Adams have written themselves into Australian startup lore, partially for their complementary backgrounds and skillsets.

There was Perkins, whose experience teaching students how to wrangle existing design programs convinced her simpler options were possible.

Obrecht, a former school teacher, whose early business nous helped Fusion Books grow into today’s design juggernaut.

And then Adams, a former Google developer and startup founder in his own right, who powered the company’s technical core.

For him, finding partners like Perkins and Obrecht was as important as any product idea.

“There is never anything that’s achieved by one person, you always need the right people around you,” he said.

“And I personally took a hell of a long time to find the right team that I could build something meaningful with.

Adams “tried other side hustles, little side projects that I worked on with my friends and with colleagues”, but says personality clashes hampered some of those concepts.

“And when I found Mel and Cliff, it was a perfect partnership, we each contributed to one another and provided a different leg of the stool that’s needed to actually produce something like Canva.”

Understanding how your strengths could complement someone else’s attributes — and knowing how a co-founder could enhance your own skillsets — is vital.

“Understanding yourself and finding the people that fill the gaps in you is I think the key to building a really long lasting organisation,” he said.