Case study:Hady M., Engineer
Monthly revenue
$20K → $70K
Monthly revenue in approximately six months.
“We went from about $20k to $70k months working with Nate for 6 months.”
Individual client experience. Results are not guaranteed or typical.
Innerspire Consulting · Chicago · Est. 2006
Don't believe
everything you know.
About your business.
Since you found us, Why not poke around, do the quick assessment and get to know us a bit.
Then, we'll have a chat, maybe with coffee - and see what shows up.
Answer these 5 questions now...
I'm going to start asking you questions that expand your mind and unlock more money
You'll feel uncomfortable and a grateful sense of relief at the same time
All of this starts with removing and simplifying - nothing is complicated
It all pays for itself in money, peace of mind and a refreshed business
Yes, it's finally happening - good job reaching out
Five Ways to Think Differently, Earn More & Smooth It Out.
Real Business Results.
Original thinking. Measurable outcomes.
Case study:John, Putnam Fuel
Business turnaround
$1.2M+ IN DEBT → $14M+ REVENUE
24% OPERATING PROFIT MARGIN
In just over two years.
“We went from over $1.2Million in debt to over $14million in revenue and 24% operating profit margin in just over 2 years”
Individual client experience. Results are not guaranteed or typical.
A few simple questions
Honesty time.
You say your company is working hard to grow sales.
How many new customer introductions did your team make last week?
You say your customers love you.
How many referred someone to you last month?
You say your business is profitable.
Do you know exactly where you're making money—and where it's slipping away?
You say your people are performing well.
Compared to what?
The point isn't that you're wrong.
It's that you might be surprised by what's actually true.
The familiar isn't always
the full picture.
You know your customers, your people, your sales, your operations, and your business. Or do you?
Some of what you believe is absolutely right. Some might be based on old information, assumptions, or feelings that don't match reality.
What we FEEL is happening and what's REAL can be two very different things.
Sometimes progress starts with looking again.
Nate's superpower
If there's an area of your business that creates doubt, Nate can help you see where the certainty will come from!
The Innerspire method
NOTICE.
Ask better questions. Investigate the gap between what you believe is happening and what's actually happening.
TRACK.
What do the numbers support? What don't they support? What aren't you measuring at all?
MAKE SMALL ADJUSTMENTS.
Turn discoveries into meaningful improvements. Keep what works. Remove the extra. Measure what changes.
Imagine
- Hidden profits you didn't realize were available.
- More referrals from customers who already love doing business with you.
- A smoother-running business, from the first introduction to another happy customer.
- Fewer frustrations and more time to enjoy what you've built.
The opportunity isn't necessarily to work harder.
It's to notice what you've been missing.
Sometimes small adjustments create surprisingly big improvements.
We don't just hand you a report
Fresh eyes.
Decades of experience.
Sleeves rolled up.
We learn your business, challenge assumptions, investigate the numbers, and discover opportunities worth pursuing.
We don't leave you with an expensive pile of analysis and recommendations. We come alongside you to help make it happen—addressing the leaks, the fog, and the frustrations, and turning overlooked opportunities into measurable improvements.
More profits. A smoother-running business. Less frustration.
Established businesses. Open minds.
Is this conversation for you?
You're probably a good fit if…
- Around 10 years or more in business. You've built something real.
- You're making good money. And you've got your share of frustrations, too.
- You're stubborn. But you care deeply about your people and customers.
- Quality matters. You're proud of what your business delivers.
- You can handle a little pushback. You're willing to challenge what you think you know.
We're probably not a fit if…
- You're not committed to delivering an excellent product or service.
- Status and ego matter more than listening, learning, and collaborating.
- Making more money matters more than doing what's right.
- You believe AI has all the answers and people are becoming irrelevant.
- You're unwilling to consider something new.
- You'd rather complain about money problems than roll up your sleeves and solve them.
Nate LindquistFOUNDER, INNERSPIRE
Entrepreneur. Business Builder. Advisor.
Meet Nate Lindquist.
A person. Not a playbook.
For more than 31 years, I've been building businesses, helping business owners solve difficult problems, and finding opportunities and innovations others often overlook.
I founded Innerspire in 2006. I've built and operated my own businesses, worked with hundreds of business owners, and learned that better questions often beat adding more complexity.
Because sometimes the biggest opportunity isn't something new. It's something hiding under some surprisingly simple questions.
We helped transform these businesses and hundreds of others... some of them front to back!
Many of the businesses have scaled or been sold successfully.
Building businesses since 1996. Asking better questions for a lifetime.
In addition to our coaching and consulting, we've helped direct entire brands to new levels of success.
The work
From strategy to the finished campaign.
We didn't just advise. We built the strategy, the brands, the marketing and ran the campaigns alongside the owners.
Yes, this is all of our work, creative direction, copy targeted at effective business growth, promise making and promise keeping!
Every campaign scientifically engineered to include offers that distinguished the brand as the ONLY option. The Oil Save Score™, The Energy Monsters™, Dangerous Trends Reports™, making our clients a Category of One™ and many others... activating our clients' success again and again. We know what commands attention!
And it shows up every call and strategic session with our clients.
Putnam Fuel — the business behind the campaigns.
Case study:John, Putnam Fuel
Business turnaround
$1.2M+ IN DEBT → $14M+ REVENUE
24% OPERATING PROFIT MARGIN
In just over two years.
“We went from over $1.2Million in debt to over $14million in revenue and 24% operating profit margin in just over 2 years”
Individual client experience. Results are not guaranteed or typical.
The thinking behind the work
A different way
to look at business.
A few of the ideas I've developed along the way. Different lenses. The same intention: meaningful progress.
See the 7 goldminesDEMAND & SALES01
Predictable Demand Blueprint™
A powerful method for businesses to attract customers, generate demand, and create more predictable sales opportunities. Make the competition nearly irrelevant.
See what's insideTHE BUSINESS02
The 5 Core Business Machines™
A lens for examining the essential functions that drive a business—and where there may be room to improve.
See what's inside
SIMPLICITY & OWNERSHIP03
The Minimalist CEO Podcast™
Ideas about removing unnecessary complexity and creating greater freedom for the owner.
Bring it into a conversation
PROGRESS04
Excuse Removal Blueprint™
A practical approach to recognizing and removing obstacles that prevent meaningful progress.
See what's inside
See the formulaSTRENGTHS & CONTRIBUTION05
The GIFTS Formula®
Exploring personal strengths, meaningful contribution, and the gifts people bring to their work.
See what's insideTHE WHOLE PICTURE06
The 5 Core Forces™
A perspective on the relationship between mind, body, spirit, relationships, and business.
See what's insideThe
Minimalist
CEO Podcast™
Real conversations. Useful perspectives.
The Minimalist CEO Podcast™
Conversations with business owners about their experiences, lessons, challenges, and approaches to building businesses. Less unnecessary complexity. More room for what matters.
Hosted by Nate Lindquist · 43 episodes
Episode 41
HVAC Nightmares & Solutions
A conversation about business exit value, private equity, attracting qualified technicians, and simplifying a service business—with lessons beyond HVAC.
Listen on Apple Podcasts
Episode 38
A Conversation with Michael Savage
Practical business experience, delivering value, and the language of wealth building with Michael Savage.
Listen on Apple PodcastsEpisode 23
Richard Whitten: Capturing Your Special Sauce
Customer experience, setting expectations, balancing capacity, and the essentials of customer care, creativity, and communication.
Listen on Apple PodcastsThe book
The Excuse Removal Blueprint™.
7 Steps To Your Greatest Breakthrough
Written by Nate Lindquist—a practical approach to recognizing and removing the obstacles that prevent meaningful progress.
The first edition sold out. A new edition is on the way.
Explore the ideaIn their own words
Real people.
Their experience.
01 / 05
Darrell Johnson's experience
Darrell Johnson · Owner/Founder · Ice Dam Shield
Still interested? Good.
Let's see what we discover in 15 minutes.
I bring decades of experience, plenty of ideas, and some questions that might make you uncomfortable. You bring your experience, your business, and a willingness to look at things differently.
Let's Find Out