When Andrew Kennedy approached Spark Interact, he was already an accomplished engineer with over two decades of experience at BHP’s Kalgoorlie operations. But his expertise wasn’t immediately obvious to potential clients — his presentation materials didn’t reflect the calibre of work he’d been delivering for major mining operations. After transitioning from a corporate role to independent consulting, Andrew needed to establish himself as a credible, professional choice in a competitive market, all while working within the practical constraints of a startup budget.

The Challenge: Translating Corporate Experience into Independent Authority

Andrew’s situation was both an opportunity and a challenge. His 21 years at BHP had given him unique expertise in asset inspections, failure analysis, and brownfield plant reliability — experience that made him the only nationally registered mechanical engineer based in the Goldfields. But potential clients couldn’t see that distinction.

He had international credentials that were rare in his field. The challenge wasn’t his capability; it was finding a way to communicate it clearly to an audience that needed to quickly understand why they should trust him with their critical assets.

The budget reality meant focusing on maximum impact with minimal investment. Rather than a comprehensive brand overhaul, Andrew needed a targeted solution that would establish his professional credentials immediately. A two-page capability statement emerged as the strategic choice — substantial enough to demonstrate expertise, focused enough to stay within budget constraints.

A large white industrial storage tank is being serviced by workers, including a BHP Veteran, using a blue lift and surrounded by safety cones and barriers at an industrial site in the Goldfields under a partly cloudy sky.

Building the Foundation: Strategic Simplicity

The project began with understanding what truly set Andrew apart in the market. His national registration as a mechanical engineer, combined with his Goldfields location, created a unique value proposition that needed to be front and centre.

“The fact that he’s the only nationally registered mechanical engineer in the Goldfields was already a strong differentiator. I built the copy around that, making sure the language clearly communicated his credibility and helped potential clients trust him based on the quality of his work.”

Jeric Javier, Copywriter

Large industrial fan system with yellow and blue metal housing, visible rust, electrical panels, and weathered exterior components—reflecting the rugged demands of Goldfields operations overseen by a BHP Veteran.

The copywriting process focused on translating Andrew’s technical background into clear value statements that mining operations could immediately understand. Rather than listing generic engineering services, the content highlighted specific capabilities like “asset integrity-driven engineered remediations” and “failure mode and root cause analysis” — language that spoke directly to the operational challenges his target clients faced daily.

Meanwhile, Chau worked with the visual elements Andrew had already invested in. He’d crowdsourced a logo, which gave the project a starting point but required thoughtful integration into a professional presentation.

“I mainly used the colours from his logo. I just introduced a bit of a brighter blue because his logo is quite dark,” Chau noted. “I took elements from the logo like the first page — I tried to make the A and K in the top, trying to add some elements because he doesn’t really have a brand guideline or any branding.”

Chau Nguyen, Designer

Two corporate flyers for AK Asset Consultancy display company information, services, a headshot of a BHP Veteran Independent Consultant, and images of industrial assets on a light background.

This approach demonstrated how strategic design thinking could work within existing constraints, taking crowdsourced elements and elevating them into a cohesive professional presentation.

The Professional Touch: Details That Establish Authority

A key recommendation during project development was a professional headshot. It was a small detail with a big impact on how Andrew was perceived.

We couldn’t organise the photo ourselves, but we advised him to get one taken professionally. There was a short delay while he sorted it out, but the result made a clear difference to the overall presentation. A casual iPhone shot would have looked amateur and undermined the credibility we were trying to build.

The team also incorporated testimonials strategically, understanding that in the engineering consulting space, trust and credibility often matter more than flashy presentations. The final capability statement balanced technical authority with professional presentation, showcasing Andrew’s unique credentials while making his expertise accessible to decision-makers who needed to quickly assess his fit for their projects.

A hand holds a company brochure for Asset Engineering, featuring an industrial tank image, company overview, key capabilities, and a photo of a director identified as a BHP Veteran.

The Outcome: Quick Execution, Lasting Impact

The project moved from concept to completion within a week, with Andrew proving an efficient collaborator throughout the process. The streamlined timeline reflected both the focused scope and Andrew’s decisive feedback — crucial factors when working within startup budget constraints.

The immediate result was a five-star client review, but the longer-term impact became clear in the follow-up conversation. Andrew now had a foundation that could grow with his business. The team discussed next-phase opportunities like proposal templates and a single-page website, showing how the capability statement served as the first step in a scalable brand development journey.

We wrapped up the project with a final meeting to walk through potential next steps. Even as a solo consultant, he appreciated seeing how his brand could grow over time — and he mentioned that in his review.

A Google review praises Spark Interact for their professionalism in developing a company capability statement for an Independent Consultant, with a reply from Spark Interact. Spark Interact logo at bottom right.

The project showed how targeted thinking can deliver strong results, even on a limited budget. Rather than trying to fix everything at once, we focused on building a credible starting point that supports both immediate impact and future growth.a professional foundation that immediately established Andrew’s credibility while setting up future growth opportunities.

For Andrew, the capability statement became more than a marketing tool — it was validation that his expertise could translate successfully from corporate environments to independent consulting. For Spark Interact, it reinforced the value of understanding client constraints and designing solutions that deliver immediate impact while building toward future possibilities.

The Goldfields now has a nationally registered mechanical engineer whose professional presentation matches his technical expertise — exactly the transformation Andrew needed to succeed as an independent consultant.