Tales from the Trail
We're proud to share our clients' experiences and how NxTrek helped them achieve success. Explore their testimonials and discover how we can help you.
Scott Johnston
Founder & Owner of Johnston Design Group
"The depth of knowledge and experience NxTrek has to offer is complemented by a hands-on approach that is, in my experience, quite unique. Rather than serve as a business coach, NxTrek gets in the game with us and invests their knowledge in a way that feels more like a partnership rather than a consultant relationship. NxTrek delivers wisdom and experience that has been invaluable to Johnston Design Group and has facilitated incredible and thoughtful leadership training and strategic planning for our growing organization. In my experience, folks are either great listeners or great advisors – rarely both. NxTrek gracefully combines these two skills in a way that greatly facilitates innovation and creativity throughout the room. I can’t overstate how beneficial NxTrek has been for Johnston Design Group."
Business Context
  • Private architecture firm with 15+ staff
  • Family members active in the business
  • Scott came to NxTrek for advisory to evaluate, select, and pursue the next set of opportunities that will enable Johnston Design Group to sustain harmony through business growth
Scott Fish
Owner & CEO of ​Tri-Win Direct​
"I had already established a business connection with Toby, but recently, I had the opportunity to meet the rest of the NxTrek team, which allowed me to get to know Jonathan and John better. The team quickly won me over with their deep knowledge and expertise in areas outside of my own specialty. They have proven to be trustworthy, reliable, and consistently follow through on their commitments. As my business has grown significantly in recent years, having reliable guidance and insight has been invaluable. I am confident that the NxTrek team will continue to provide the best support for my business, my staff, and me"
Business Context
  • Family-owned print + mail direct marketing company
  • In business 30+ years with over 100 employees whose average tenure exceeds 10 years
  • Scott came to NxTrek for executive advisory and engaged NxTrek Guides to lead a sales advancement trail that is tailored specifically to Tri-Win's business for their emerging sales leaders
Owner & Founder
"Working with Toby Stansell of NxTrek has been an amazing experience. For decades, I have been busy building a good law firm, and now with the assistance of Toby, am working on building systems for a good business. NxTrek not only teaches values and principles, but also the action steps necessary to implement those ideas and achieve real progress. Highly recommend for those starting out, or like me, in the middle stages of life and career trying to figure out the next chapter and a succession plan."
Business Context
  • Private law practice with 9 attorneys and 20+ staff
  • In business for 25+ years
  • Came to NxTrek for executive leadership + succession/exit advisory with a planning horizon of 5 years

When clients are conducting longer term succession planning, we do not publicly associate their name with their testimonial, as their team members can be in various stages of awareness about the plan. After an initial conversation with NxTrek, we offer to put qualified prospective clients directly in touch with reference clients, such as the one above.
Chief Information Officer
"Working with Toby Stansell and NxTrek has been a transformative experience. Toby is not a sideline coach; he actively engages to uncover and develop a clear, actionable path forward, using a practical approach honed through his own journey. His insights are both strategic and personal, making him not just a guide, but a lifelong friend. The value of his guidance and genuine partnership is unmatched.”
Business Context
  • Regional Airport directly supporting 12,000+ jobs (Nov 2023) and 2.7M passengers annually (Jun 2024)
  • Client came to NxTrek for executive leadership advisory to maximize the impact in their role and refine communication with stakeholders
Chief Financial Officer
"Thank you [John Krebsbach] for all your help and support over the last few months. Your thoroughness, project management, and attention to detail made all the difference. We've learned a ton and are set up much better because of your help.”
Business Context
  • Private, venture-backed software company with 30+ team members, including a mixture of full-time employees and contractors who are based in the U.S. and internationally (Canada, South America, Europe)
  • Client came to NxTrek for operational advisory to solve pain points from having multiple payroll systems (different for U.S. and int'l team members) that caused friction and inefficiency
  • John partnered over several months to help the client evaluate, select, and implement a unified HRIS system that would not only solve their payroll friction by combining domestic and international into one system, but also help them prepare for their next round of funding by implementing scalable automation and workflows in areas covering: employee onboarding, benefits administration, multi-state payroll tax administration, and compliance.
Praise for Toby's Book

Toby wrote his first book from a collection of notes he gathered over his entire career and called it: The Winding Road to Excellence: Leadership Lessons Learned from Life's Potholes.
Drawing on decades of experience leading companies in a variety of sectors, he wrote an engaging, often hilarious, practical guide for business leaders intent on leading their businesses to excellence. Leaders all over the world have experienced what they fondly call “Tobyisms,” what Stansell refers to as “mantras for excellence.” The Winding Road to Excellence builds on pithy, memorable mantras like: “Humility is more important than visibility;” “Authentic living precedes authentic leadership;” and “Everyone, from the janitor to the king, deserves to be treated well.” These powerful shorthand ideas are developed and made memorable through engaging stories of how Stansell discovered their wisdom often the hard way. The Winding Road to Excellence is destined to become a must-have desk-side resource leaders will turn to again and again.
“Toby Stansell is a true leader who has the two most important characteristics that a real transformational leader can possess: strong, effective communication and a big heart! Toby believes in teamwork, best practice sharing, and leading by example. Toby makes those around him think, and achieve, more than they thought possible, and continually provide a vision of what can be. I am fortunate to be able to experience Toby's care and commitment as a friend and business associate. I recommend his book with great pleasure!”
-Randy Dobbs Author, Transformational Leadership: A Blueprint for Real Organizational Change
“Toby Stansell is a wonderfully unique individual committed to doing the right thing, and backed up by a wealth of international experience, relationship building and a continuous desire to learn. We can all become better in business and as individuals by taking to heart what Toby has to say.”
-Craig Brown Owner & Chairman, Greenville Drive Minor League Baseball Team
“From my initial meeting with Toby, I knew he was an individual that I needed to spend time with to glean from his experience and partner with on transformational projects. One thing that definitely jumps out at you when you meet Toby is that he is incredibly young at heart! He is full of energy, dynamic, and willing to actively engage in development opportunities at various levels. He demonstrates a keen focus on leadership development and stands at the ready to impart his wisdom, all with the unique ability to weave his global exposure into his southern heritage.”
-Basil Dosunmu Chief Financial Officer, Richmond International Airport
“"Things do not always go 'right' and rarely do they go as planned. Toby exemplifies the importance of positive thinking and adaptability as key aspects of leadership during periods of rapid change. He has instilled these traits in my everyday activities and is proof a smile goes a long way!"
-Scott Moss Merger & Acquisition Executive
Chicagoland
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