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Melanie Perkins, the co-founder of Canva, knows a lot about rejection. In a recent talk, she shared her journey and highlighted how crucial it is to keep going, even when it feels impossible.
Rejection is tough. It feels awkward and discouraging, making you want to give up. Perkins emphasizes that this is a natural human reaction.
"When you are rejected, you feel a lot like giving up and stopping," she says.
But she believes that pushing through these feelings is essential.
Perkins insists that perseverance is vital to achieving any goal. She faced countless rejections while trying to build her tech team and secure investors for Canva. Many investors turned her down for various reasons: they felt the market wasn't right, they didn't believe in a design product for non-designers, or they were unwilling to invest in an Australian startup. Each rejection was painful, but Perkins didn't give up.
"I think what's really important is to persevere and continue and continue again and get rejected and rejected again, which feels completely outrageous and like the exact opposite of what feels natural. Because rejection is hard. And trying again and being told that something isn't working, that you don't have whatever it is that you need, it doesn't really feel like you should try and try again."
It took Perkins and her team three years from their first investor meeting to actually landing an investment. Despite the constant setbacks, they kept pushing forward. Perkins' story is a testament to the importance of resilience.
"Rejection and perseverance are two very critical ingredients to succeed at literally any goal that you put your mind to," she says.
After years of persistence, Perkins and her team finally secured their first round of funding. This breakthrough allowed them to grow their team and, after a year of development, launch Canva to the world. The success of Canva today is a powerful reminder of what can be achieved with determination and perseverance.
"There were so many rejections, and each one of them really hurt. So we persevered for years. It was actually three years between first meeting an investor, Bill, and then actually landing investment."
Interestingly, Perkins' experience isn't unique in the tech world. Many successful entrepreneurs have faced similar challenges. For example, Airbnb's founders were rejected by numerous investors before securing funding, and J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" manuscript was turned down by multiple publishers before becoming a global phenomenon. These stories highlight a common theme: persistence in the face of rejection can lead to extraordinary success.
Melanie Perkins' journey is an inspiring example of how important it is to keep trying, even when faced with repeated rejections. Her story encourages us to embrace perseverance as a key ingredient to success. No matter how many times you hear "no," the important thing is to keep pushing forward until you achieve your goals. Listen to Melanie: Part 1:
Part 2: