When My Cofounder Died, It Showed Me How to Run My Company

In the early days of my first startup, PlanGrid, our cofounder Antoine Hersen — who was only 29 at the time — died of cancer. We lived and worked from a house in Sunnyvale together, and he programmed until his last days.

Before he passed, Antoine gave me his copy of On the Shortness of Life by Seneca, and inside he included his last letter to me: "Life is short. Take care of Ralphie. Don't be afraid to try new things. Never do anything that makes you unhappy."

Image Credit: Courtesy of Tracy Young

There is a balance to everything in life. Although this terrible thing happened to my good friend, and I would give anything for him to still be with us today, the fact is that his death and this book completely changed my life. The quote I think about most often is, "It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a lot of it."

Time is the only resource we'll never be given more of, so I try my hardest not to let anyone — including myself — waste any of it. I keep On the Shortness of Life in my library to remind me to ruthlessly prune bullshit every day. Gradually, this practice sharpened into a guiding principle. I call it being "wholehearted." It is the belief that we make the most of our time when our focus is undivided and we are truly present — whether it's for our loved ones or the work we've set out to do. And to expect this kind of presence from my employees, I must offer them true flexibility , so they can be present for other aspects of their lives as well.

As PlanGrid grew from a few people to several hundred across the globe, we worked while grieving — first Antoine, and then other life crises. Teammates coped with loved ones dying, children getting sick. Everyone's situation was different and ever-changing. Our employees were given the flexibility to handle whatever life threw at them.

Back then, however, we did not write wholeheartedness into our company policies. I fixed that with my new company, TigerEye , where it is our first and most important core value, and documented in our employee handbook accordingly. Teammates can structure their time as they see fit; we just ask that they communicate any unexpected changes in their schedule. We recognize that being present in both life and work is challenging, but we prioritize being wholehearted and not feeling guilty about it. Not a day goes by that I don't think about On the Shortness of Life, and Antoine's advice to me. It's helped me become who I am today: a woman who protects her time.