Description

A focused course, tailored for you

The Boutique Mining and Energy Strategy Practice Playbook

A founder-led playbook for winning fixed-scope mining, oil and gas, and renewables strategy mandates against firms ten times your size.

You are the named expert on every proposal, the analyst on every model, and the closer on every call. When a copper, lithium, or renewables client puts your boutique on a shortlist with a Big4 firm, the question is never whether you understand the asset better. It is whether the deliverable shape on page two of your proposal is as legible to the CFO as the one the Big4 partner walks in with.

$199 one-time

Tailored to your situation. Access within 24 hours. 30-day money-back.

Includes a hand-built implementation playbook delivered alongside course access, generated for your specific situation.

Why this course

Founder-led strategy practices in mining, oil and gas, and renewables compete on operator judgement and direct asset experience. The procurement obstacle is rarely capability. It is the absence of a productised deliverable shape that a CFO, a Head of Strategy, or a board member can map onto a fixed scope, a fixed fee, and a named workstream. A 40-slide custom deck signals depth to the technical evaluator and signals risk to the procurement evaluator. A standard methodology with named workstreams, a fixed fee, a defined team profile, and a published deliverable list signals the opposite, even when the underlying analysis is thinner. The boutique that systemises its practice the way the Big4 do, while keeping the founder-led delivery quality, wins the mandates that pay for the next two analysts. The boutique that ships custom every time stays at one or two mandates a quarter and never compounds.

What you walk away with

Five productised mandate types written up as fixed-scope offerings with fee bands, week-by-week workstreams, named team profiles, and the exact deliverable list each one ships.
A proposal template that a procurement evaluator can rank line for line against a Big4 proposal, without losing the founder-led judgement quality on page one.
A pricing model that holds margin on fixed-fee mandates by isolating the analytical scope from the stakeholder management scope from the optionality scope.
An origination cadence that produces 6 to 10 qualified mandate conversations a quarter without paid marketing, built from operator-network referrals, conference triggers, and published asset-specific points of view.
A delivery operating rhythm that lets a founder stay billable on two mandates concurrently without compromising decision quality, using a documented workstream cadence and a defined client decision-checkpoint structure.

The 12 modules

Module 1. Mapping the mandate types your boutique actually wins

The boutique mining and energy practice wins a narrower set of mandate types than the founder believes. This module walks the seven canonical shapes (asset value review, capex prioritisation, energy transition, M and A target screen, ESG and tailings, EPC selection, operating model redesign), maps which a 1 to 8 person practice can credibly run, and produces the shortlist ValueStrategy productises first.

Module 2. The asset value review mandate productised

Asset value reviews are the most common boutique mandate in mining and energy and the most often delivered as bespoke work. This module ships the productised version, a five-workstream methodology covering reserve and resource basis, operating cost structure, capex outlook, market and price view, and integrated NPV under stress cases, with the deliverable templates, the scoping language, the fee band, the analyst-week loading, and the standard exclusions that protect margin when the client asks for one more sensitivity.

Module 3. The capex prioritisation mandate productised

Mining and energy operators with constrained capital need a defensible ranking of competing capex options that the board will sign. This module productises the capex prioritisation mandate as a six-week engagement with a defined scoring framework (strategic fit, NPV under three price decks, execution risk, ESG and licence to operate, optionality preserved), the workshop sequence that gets the executive committee aligned, and the board paper template that survives the questions a non-executive director will actually ask.

Module 4. The energy transition for a producing operation mandate productised

Producing copper, gold, lithium, oil and gas operators are commissioning hybrid renewables, BESS, and PPA renegotiations to decarbonise processing load. This module productises the mandate as an eight to twelve week engagement covering load profile reconstruction, tariff and PPA scenario analysis, technology shortlist, EPC pool assessment, and the bankable financing structure, plus the reference cases from Atacama and Pilbara operations that anchor credibility on a first call.

Module 5. The M and A target screen mandate productised

Boutiques are increasingly hired to run target screens for mining majors evaluating junior acquirers and for renewables IPPs evaluating project portfolios. This module productises the target screen as a four to six week engagement with a defined long-list-to-short-list funnel, a scoring framework (geology, jurisdictional risk, capex stage, ESG profile, acquirer fit), and the data room readiness assessment, with formal due diligence explicitly excluded to engineering and legal advisors.

Module 6. The ESG and tailings strategy mandate productised

Tailings storage facilities and broader ESG positioning are board-level questions for every mining operator post-Brumadinho. This module productises the ESG and tailings strategy mandate as a six to ten week engagement covering GISTM compliance gap assessment, community and indigenous relations diagnostic, water stewardship strategy, biodiversity and closure provisioning, and the integrated ESG narrative for the annual report and the rating agency conversation, with the standard deliverable set and the templates that translate technical findings into board-paper language.

Module 7. The EPC contractor selection mandate productised

Capital project owners lose value at the EPC selection stage, where the wrong contracting strategy (EPC, EPCM, multi-prime, alliance) sets up overruns the project never recovers from. This module productises the mandate as a four to eight week engagement covering contracting strategy choice, contractor long list, capability and capacity assessment, commercial terms benchmarking, and the negotiation positioning paper that lets the owner team lead the procurement conversation.

Module 8. Pricing and fee model for fixed-scope mining and energy mandates

The founder-led boutique loses margin not on day rate but on scope creep, sensitivity requests, and stakeholder drift. This module builds the pricing model that isolates analytical scope from stakeholder management scope from optionality scope, with three pricing levers (fixed fee, time and materials for added sensitivities, success or option fee for transaction-linked work) and fee bands by mandate type benchmarked against comparable Big4 and tier-one proposals.

Module 9. Proposal architecture that wins against the Big4

The proposal that loses to the Big4 is not analytically weaker, it is structurally less legible to procurement. This module rebuilds the boutique proposal around the structure procurement evaluators rank highest (executive summary, fixed-scope methodology with named workstreams, named team with proven mandate count, fixed fee with explicit inclusions and exclusions, verifiable references, schedule with decision checkpoints) and ships the proposal template, cover letter pattern, and references handling.

Module 10. Origination cadence without paid marketing

A founder-led practice cannot afford paid marketing and does not need it. This module builds the origination cadence that produces 6 to 10 qualified conversations a quarter from three channels: operator-network referrals (the ten to twenty senior operators one introduction from the next mandate), conference trigger sequencing (three to five sector conferences a year where you publish a point of view and book meetings after), and jurisdiction-specific points of view that procurement quietly forwards.

Module 11. Delivery operating rhythm for two concurrent mandates

The founder named expert on every proposal becomes the bottleneck on every delivery. This module builds the operating rhythm that lets a founder stay billable on two mandates concurrently without compromising decision quality, with the documented workstream cadence (workstream stand-up, client checkpoint, deliverable review), the analyst-week loading model that protects the founder's time for client-facing moments, and the checkpoint structure that pulls the client into the mandate rather than waiting for the final readout.

Module 12. Building the productised practice the next two analysts inherit

The boutique that systemises its practice can hire the next two analysts and keep margin. The boutique that does not, cannot. This module pulls the mandate types, templates, pricing model, proposal architecture, origination cadence, and operating rhythm into a single internal practice manual an incoming senior analyst can read in a week and start producing first-draft deliverables in the second, with onboarding sequence, deliverable review checklist, and founder-time protection rules.

How this addresses your situation

Specific modules that map to what you said you are dealing with.

You have a proposal due Friday for a copper or lithium operator that you have to beat a Big4 firm to win. Modules 1, 2, 3, and 9 ship the productised mandate shape and the proposal architecture that closes the legibility gap.

You are quoting an energy transition mandate to a producing mining operation and the client wants a fixed fee. Modules 4 and 8 give you the productised scope, the workstream loading, and the fee model that holds margin while the client compares your fee to a tier-one strategy proposal.

You are running two mandates concurrently and one is slipping because you are the bottleneck on every deliverable. Modules 11 and 12 give you the operating rhythm and the practice manual that protect the founder time without sacrificing the decision quality the client hired you for.

You have closed three mandates this quarter from your operator network and nothing in the pipeline for next quarter. Module 10 builds the origination cadence that produces 6 to 10 qualified conversations a quarter without paid marketing.

What you get with this course

Twelve written modules in the Art of Service learning environment, each with the productised mandate template, scoping language, fee band, and analyst-week loading model.
Proposal template tuned for a boutique competing against the Big4 in mining, oil and gas, and renewables.
Five fixed-scope mandate sheets (asset value review, capex prioritisation, energy transition, M and A target screen, EPC contractor selection) with deliverable lists and exclusion clauses.
Pricing and fee model spreadsheet with fee bands benchmarked against comparable Big4 and tier-one strategy proposals.
Origination cadence calendar template covering operator-network referrals, conference triggers, and published-points-of-view sequencing.
The hand-built implementation playbook tuned to ValueStrategy Consulting's actual client mix when you reply with the three mandate types you most want to lock in.
30-day money-back guarantee.

What you will have in hand by Day 1, Week 1, Month 1

Within 24 hours, account provisioned in the Art of Service learning environment and the hand-built implementation playbook delivered alongside it.

Week 1, review the seven canonical mandate types and select the three to five ValueStrategy will productise first.

Weeks 2 to 4, work through the productised mandate modules for the selected types and ship the first proposal template against the next live opportunity.

Weeks 5 to 6, build the pricing model and origination cadence and run them against the actual pipeline.

Weeks 7 to 8, install the delivery operating rhythm and the practice manual that lets the practice carry two concurrent mandates.

Before and after

Before

Every proposal is a custom 40-slide deck written from scratch over a weekend. Procurement scores you below the Big4 even when the technical evaluator prefers you. Fees are inconsistent, scope creeps on every mandate, and the next quarter's pipeline depends on which operator picks up the phone.

After

Five productised mandate sheets ship as fixed-scope offerings with named workstreams, defined fees, and a procurement-legible proposal structure. Origination cadence produces 6 to 10 qualified conversations a quarter. Delivery operating rhythm lets you run two mandates concurrently without the founder bottleneck.

What happens if you do not address this

The boutique that ships custom every time stays at one or two mandates a quarter and never compounds. The mandates that pay for the next two analysts go to the firm that turned a comparable capability into a productised practice, and the founder-led practice spends another year selling the value of operator judgement to procurement functions that cannot score it.

Who it is for

Founders, principals, and managing partners of strategy and advisory boutiques serving mining, oil and gas, and renewables operators. Typically 1 to 8 person teams, 10 plus years of operator or top-tier consulting background, selling into asset general managers, COOs, CFOs, Heads of Strategy, and Boards in Latin America, Australia, Canada, and Southern Africa. Mandate sizes 30k to 250k USD, project lengths 4 to 16 weeks.

Who this is NOT for. Not for in-house corporate strategy teams in mining majors. Not for technical engineering consultancies that bill by the hour for studies. Not for pure ESG advisory shops that do not touch operating or capital decisions. The course assumes a paid client mandate model, founder-led origination, and a deliverable that recommends a board-level decision.

How it arrives

Text-based course in the Art of Service learning environment, plus downloadable templates and worked examples for every module, plus the hand-built implementation playbook delivered alongside course access.

Time investment. Roughly 18 to 24 hours of reading and template work spread across 6 to 8 weeks, plus the time the founder spends applying the productised mandate templates to the next live proposal and the next two mandates in delivery.

Why $199 is the right number

Generic strategy practice playbooks are written for tier-one firms with 20-plus analysts per partner and assume an origination engine, a brand, and a procurement function that already knows the firm. Free mining and energy industry reports give you the market view but not the practice operating model. McKinsey, Bain, and BCG publish thought leadership for their own positioning, not for boutiques competing against them. This course is the productised practice operating model for the 1 to 8 person boutique selling into mining, oil and gas, and renewables operators in Latin America, Australia, Canada, and Southern Africa.

FAQ

Is this for solo founders or for boutiques with a small team?

Both. The mandate types, templates, and pricing model work for a solo founder running two concurrent mandates and for a 4 to 8 person practice running three to five concurrent mandates. The delivery operating rhythm module handles the founder-bottleneck question for both shapes.

Does the productised practice approach work for renewables-only or oil-and-gas-only boutiques?

Yes. The seven canonical mandate types map to renewables IPPs (asset value review, capex prioritisation, EPC contractor selection, M and A target screen are the highest-frequency ones) and to oil and gas operators (asset value review, capex prioritisation, energy transition for a producing operation, ESG strategy). The templates are written to be sector-specific by selection rather than generic.

How is the implementation playbook tailored?

You reply to the welcome email with the three mandate types you most want to lock in and a one-paragraph description of your current client mix. The implementation playbook is then built around that mix with the specific fee bands, the named workstream language tuned to your sector, and the origination triggers tuned to your jurisdiction. Delivered alongside course access.

Is the course annual content or evergreen?

Evergreen. The mandate types and the practice operating model do not change year to year. Sector-specific updates (tariff schedules, EPC contractor capacity, GISTM enforcement) are tracked separately in the implementation playbook and updated for buyers on the rolling brief.

30-day money-back guarantee. If after a week of working through the materials this is not what you needed, reply to the receipt email and a full refund is processed. No questions, no forms.

Within 24 hours your account in the learning environment is provisioned and the tailored implementation playbook is delivered alongside it.