Justin Delisle: leading with clarity while scaling through uncertainty
Company: TATO
Founder: Justin Delisle, Co-Founder and CEO
Stage: Pre-Seed to Seed
Engagement: Individual coaching for CEO plus coaching support for co-founders through lume’s executive lab
From early traction to leadership pressure
When Justin Delisle joined lume’s executive lab, TATO was at a familiar but fragile stage.
The company had just closed its pre-seed round, raised $1.5M, and was operating with a six-person team. The product was live, revenue-generating, and already being used on large, complex IT and ERP initiatives. At the same time, the go-to-market motion was still coming into focus, and the product itself was evolving quickly.
Externally, things looked promising. Internally, the pressure was real.
“I had a lot of questions I couldn’t fully formulate. Friends and family don’t really understand what you’re going through, and co-founders aren’t neutral sounding boards.”
As CEO, Justin felt the weight of carrying uncertainty while also needing to project momentum.
The invisible CEO challenge
One of the hardest dynamics Justin was navigating wasn’t technical. It was energetic.
“If I’m feeling down or uncertain and I share that too openly, it can kill the energy of the team.”
Fundraising amplified this tension. When momentum slowed, it became harder to maintain confidence internally without suppressing real concerns.
“In hindsight, communicating too much of that uncertainty to the team wasn’t smart. It made generating momentum even harder.”
Justin didn’t want to stop being human. He needed a better way to process uncertainty without unintentionally spreading it.
Inside the lab: separating reflection from reaction
Coaching gave Justin a critical outlet, a place to think clearly before bringing issues into the company.
“There are questions you simply can’t ask the person you’re about to have a strategic conversation with.”
With a coach, Justin could slow down, pressure-test how to approach sensitive topics, and decide when and how to communicate change, especially as roles evolved and expectations shifted.
“Every six months in a startup, roles get reinvented. How you approach those conversations matters. You can either preserve momentum or completely drain it.”
This shift alone saved time, energy, and emotional wear across the team.
Finding the right match
Justin was skeptical going in.
“I’ll be honest, I hated coaching. I’d tried it several times and dismissed it completely.”
What changed wasn’t the idea of coaching. It was the match.
“If I don’t respect how a coach thinks, the time is wasted. I need someone who’s actually been a CEO and understands what scaling feels like.”
Working with a former CEO who could ask sharp, relevant questions, without forcing rigid processes, made the difference.
“He remembers what matters to me, asks the right questions, and knows how allergic I am to unnecessary process.”
For the first time, coaching felt like leverage instead of overhead.
Human, but still the signal
One of Justin’s biggest leadership insights was learning where vulnerability helps and where it hurts.
“My team needs to know I’m human. But they also need something to follow.”
Previously, uncertainty sometimes cascaded through the organization. Now, Justin is more intentional about where reflection happens and where energy needs to be protected.
“If the company can’t provide the light at the end of the tunnel, then I need to.”
Coaching became the container where doubts could be processed without destabilizing the team.
Stronger co-founder dynamics
As Justin and his co-founders each engaged in coaching, their working relationship shifted.
“We used to lose momentum because one of us would bring something half-formed, and we’d spiral into conflict.”
Now, conversations are more considered, more reflective, and ultimately more productive.
“We still mess it up sometimes. It’s a messy marriage. But we’re making fewer mistakes, and they cost us less.”
Even a small improvement in co-founder communication compounded into meaningful operational gains.
Internal clarity, external growth
As leadership steadied, the business accelerated.
Since beginning coaching, TATO:
Scaled the team from 6 to 14 people
Raised a $5M seed round, bringing total funding to $6.5M
Landed a six-figure customer contract
Began seeing customer referrals compound organically
The company is now focused on building repeatable systems and scaling responsibly.
The transformation
Justin’s journey through lume’s executive lab highlights a core truth of founder leadership. Clarity and momentum don’t come from having fewer questions. They come from knowing where to hold them.
“Coaching only works if you’re open to it. You have to be honest, especially about the things you’re not proud of.”
By separating reflection from reaction, Justin became a more grounded CEO, a steadier signal for his team, and a clearer decision-maker under pressure.
“When you find the right coach, it’s a superpower.”
