Find out how this “Marvel” helped millions of people to create great graphic designs for free!

Monday: Marketing Marvels FROM THE DESK OF MILES EVERSON: Happy Monday! Today, we're taking an exciting journey into the fascinating world of marketing and business with one of our “Marvels.” Every Monday, we talk about the inspiring stories and valuable lessons that these remarkable individuals have to offer. For this article, let’s talk about an entrepreneur who overcame adversity in building her multi-billion dollar startup. Ready to know more? Continue reading below! One more thing: I have a special announcement at the end of this article. Please stay tuned and I hope you’ll take the time to read that too! CEO, MBO Partners Chairman of the Advisory Board, The I Institute

Find out how this “Marvel” helped millions of people to create great graphic designs for free! According to recent studies, people retain only 10% of auditory information, but memory retention jumps to 65% when visual content like videos, photos, or infographics are added. Businesses across multiple industries took note of this as an estimated 51% to 80% of them have adopted visual content in their marketing efforts. Since there was demand for the creation of visual content, various graphic design solutions were developed and released for both individual and enterprise clients. However, it was Canva that stood out the most due to how easy it was to use. In fact, as of 2023, the graphic design platform is valued at USD 26 billion! If you’re wondering how Canva reached this valuation, we need to take a look at the story of one of the people behind its creation and development. Her name? Melanie Perkins! Perkins, born on May 13, 1987, in Australia, began her journey as an entrepreneur early in life. At the young age of 14, she started her first business venture by selling handmade scarves in local markets and shops. Perkins considered this a pivotal experience for nurturing her entrepreneurial drive and creativity. In 2007, Perkins enrolled at the University of Western Australia to study commerce and communications. While she was in college, Perkins taught her fellow students in using graphic design software like InDesign and Photoshop to earn extra income. Frustrated with the complexity of using design software, Perkins sought to create a user-friendly and collaborative graphic design tool that anyone could use with ease. To see whether she could turn her idea into reality, Perkins, along with Cliff Obrecht, launched Fusion Books in 2007, a web-based graphic design tool that helped its users to create high school yearbooks. The success of Fusion books led Perkins to dedicate her time in further developing the graphic design tool. Eventually, she decided to shift her focus towards the development of Canva. To achieve that objective, Perkins needed capital to begin developing the graphic design tool she sought to create. Unfortunately, securing funding was a painstaking process as she had to endure over a hundred rejections. Despite the setback, Perkins persevered and this led to Canva’s launch in 2013. Canva enables its users to easily create high-quality designs for social media posts, presentations, videos, logos, and more. Due to how easy it is to use, the platform has become one of the most widely used tools in the graphic design space over the past several years. In fact, the web-based graphic design tool has over 60 million active users across 190 countries. Due to the success of Canva, Perkins received the following accolades: Recognized in the Pearcey NSW Awards as New South Wales' “Technology Entrepreneur of the Year” in 2015. Included in Forbes' "30 Under 30," "Top 30 Under 30 Founders of the Decade," and “30 Under 30 Hall of Fame” lists in 2016, 2020, and 2022, respectively. Included in Womentech Network’s “100 Executive Women in Tech to Watch” in 2023. Aside from these accolades, there are valuable lessons that can be learned from Perkins' inspiring journey in establishing Canva: Identify gaps in the market. Canva was born from Perkins’ recognition of a gap in the graphic design market. Even though the space was filled with very powerful and useful graphic design tools, these solutions were either too complex or expensive for non-designers to use. By recognizing this gap in the market, Perkins was able to create an offering that was easy and cost-effective to use. Start small. Perkins had one goal: Make graphic design accessible and easy for users. However, in order to turn this dream into reality, she had to start small. That’s why in 2007, Perkins established Fusion Books, a web-based tool that enabled users to create yearbooks. While the platform catered to a small market, it enabled her to know the ins and outs of making graphic design tools. Everything that she learned from this endeavor laid the foundation for Canva. By starting out with a smaller, and more manageable project, Perkins was able to fulfill her goal of making graphic design accessible to everyone. Prioritize user experience in product development. Perkins and her team focused on creating a platform that both novices and experts in graphic design can use with ease. To do this, they conducted extensive research and testing to understand the pain points of their target audience. By prioritizing user experience, Perkins and her team turned Canva into the user-friendly tool it’s known for today. — Perkins, through Canva, made a significant contribution to the fields of graphic design and tech fields since her offering changed the way how users across the globe create and share visual content. Aside from her accomplishments, Perkins is an inspiring figure for those in the fields of tech and business because of her ability to identify gaps in the market, prioritize user experience, and her willingness to start small. So, if you want to emulate Perkins’ success, keep her story and the lessons you can learn from it in mind. You never know, you just might come up with a game-changing offering that lots of people around the world can benefit from! — SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Great and successful businesses often start with big dreams and ideas, right? But how can you build such dreams and ideas on shaky ground, especially in the midst of higher rates, increasing corporate debt, and a tightening business environment? On Thursday, April 11, 2024, at 12 p.m. EDT, my friend and colleague, Professor Joel Litman, will speak at the “Massive Equity Gains from the Strategic Buyers’ Market: Powered by a Wall of Debt” event. Here, he will talk about the risks and opportunities in equities as a result of the coming debt turmoil, combining Valens Research’s proprietary approach to equity research with totally unique credit analysis to discuss the current debt landscape and highlight where upcoming maturities risk putting some companies in hot water. Register here to know a key opportunity for growth in the ONE sector that Professor Litman and his team think will take advantage of Corporate America’s upcoming rush to raise capital. I believe this strategic insight will be beneficial for you as you build your own brand or invest your money in the stock market. See you there!     Hope you’ve found this week’s topic interesting and helpful. In today’s oversaturated market where countless brands aim to claim the spotlight, standing out and bringing something fresh is a real challenge. Learn more about Ariana Grande and her perfume business in next week’s article!