Purchased the inreach mini, also purchased a subscription to the satellite service, cannot get the inreach mini to link up with the satellite.

Not enough info here. When you power up the device for the first time (or after a factory reset), it will ask if you want to Activate the device. You need to do that - and you PROBABLY did when you set up the account with the purchased subscription. Typically, the flow goes something like this:

Go to explore.garmin.com.

Click Create a New Account.

On the next screen, click New inReach Account.

Select a plan. The next screen lets you select between personal and professional plans. Pick one.

Next, you will be prompted for the IMEI and the authorization code. You will see these on the device when you choose Activate (rather than Skip Activation) when you power the device up.

After you do that, you'll have to really pick a plan and pay for it. 

Things get a little confusing at that point. You are getting instructions on the device AND from the web site. The bottom line is that you need to take the device outside, power up, and choose Activate. Get a clear view of the sky, and respond to any device prompts. The device will first acquire a GPS fix, then it will transmit an activation request (which will match up with the account you just set up on the web site), then it will wait for activation confirmation. This can take a few minutes, so be patient.

Once activated, you will see a confirmation screen on the device. You will also receive an automated test message to which you can reply.