Inspiring Conversations with Nathan Patterson of Onyx Counsel and Consulting LLC

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nathan Patterson.

Hi Nathan, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I didn’t grow up dreaming of becoming a business coach. In fact, my story starts with a broom in my hand. At 11 years old, I became a janitor for a small Christian homeschool where my mom was the director of facilities. She told me something back then that I didn’t appreciate at the time: “If you’re going to be anything in life, learn how to be a servant.” At that age, being a servant looked like hard work, low pay, and constant financial stress—my family almost lost our home more than once. I thought, “If I am going to be anything in life, a servant is at the bottom of my list.”
But God had a plan. My mom pushed me—lovingly but firmly—into a JROTC military program. That decision changed everything. At age 17 I enlisted in the National Guard infantry, then went on to attend a senior military college where I refined my leadership skills. Over four years, I went from carrying the guidon as a freshman to commanding a company of 90 cadets as a senior.
When I graduated, I became a commissions officer in the military intelligence corps. That role stretched me: I had to understand not only our own forces but also enemy’s forces. Such as predicting their logistical needs, their battle array, and how they would react to the actions of our friendly units. It taught me how to leverage systems, supply chain management, and how to create processes that influenced hundreds of lives. I was often the first one awake and the last one to sleep, because I knew the information I produced carried real consequences. I also learned how to innovate: instead of relying on clunky Army templates, I built my own processes and workflows. Before long, other units were calling me for my models because they simply worked better and were easier to use.
Along the way, I served in higher education. This included recruitment, student onboarding, leading outreach teams, and helping young people make life-changing decisions. That sharpened my skills in influence and people development.
But the biggest shift came when I met a mentor who opened my eyes to the world of finance—mergers & acquisitions, syndications, and private equity. It was overwhelming but fascinating. I stumbled a lot, failed often, but eventually gained traction. For the first time, I was building in the business world instead of the military.

Then life hit hard. In 2022, my mom, a woman who exhibits a great reflection of Christ, was diagnosed with cancer and passed away that November. That loss flipped my priorities upside down. For years, I’d been chasing success, but God used her passing to bring me back to Him. I dove into His Word… prayer… and He ignited my heart for service.
I thought He was pulling me out of the business world altogether. But instead, He’s called me to serve His people through business. Every milestone in my life up to this point was just a different expression of service that I hadn’t realized; the leadership development, the systems and processes, the financial expertise, all of this was preparation led by God. Now, as the founder of Onyx Counsel & Consulting, I get to help Christian entrepreneurs and organizations step into their God-given mission with confidence: building teams that take ownership, mastering cash flow so they never worry about making payroll, and creating customer relationships where people can’t wait to come back.
My mom’s words still echo in my mind: “If you’re going to be anything, be a servant.” Today, I see that business coaching is my ministry of service. And I am committing this service to God, His people, and the Kingdom impact He’s called them to make.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Plenty of struggles to go through, some of which I talk about in my story.
1. The financial stress growing up taught me the value of a dollar.
2. The struggle of putting myself through college, working, and earning a scholarship.
3. The struggle of balancing a civilian career on top of a military career that had a demanding operational tempo. My particular unit was very active and even lead to a combat deployment to Afghanistan.
4. The struggle of losing my mother to cancer. The woman who was one of my greatest supporters throughout all of my life.
5. The struggle of trying and failing in multiple different areas, but never giving up because I knew God had a calling on my life. I just needed to learn from these lessons and take them forward instead of looking back with regret.
6. The struggle of standing for Christ in a world that wants to reject Him. Knowing that I will lose friends and family because of my beliefs. But I count all of that as a blessing. If God is going to use me then all glory goes to Him and I trust His plan.

As you know, we’re big fans of Onyx Counsel and Consulting LLC. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I specialize in turning CEOs into “Free EOs”. What this means is this:
Instead of an SMB owner working 70 hours a week to have a business that’s flat, they work 40 hours a week for a business that’s growing.
The owner can comfortably take that vacation and trust their team to keep things running smoothly.
The owner doesn’t have to miss family activities because they are stuck on a job site.
The owner doesn’t have to stress about meeting payroll because they already have excellent forecasting for the year.

I sell freedom. I free the business owner from owning a job. They make a subtle and simple transition from Owner Operator to Owner Optimizer.

What sets me a part is I show businesses how to do this using principles that come straight out of the Bible. And for those who need a little proof, I will work with anyone who qualifies for 4 days for free through my business bootcamp and show them real results.

On top of all of this, I am building a global Christian Business Alliance that is all about driving growth, sharing strategies, and creating a space where other Christian Business owners can come together and collaborate. Information can be found here: https://www.skool.com/onyxbusinessbuilders/about

We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
No luck for me. Just God’s steady hand aligning things in my life for where He has brought me today. I was blessed by my upbringing to have perseverance and obedience instilled in me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.onyxcounsel.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onyx_business_builders?igsh=MTA3YXQyN2ljNWkyOA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@NathanP-OnyxCounsel
• Other: https://www.skool.com/onyxbusinessbuilders/about