Big dreams key Shannan's success

WAIRARAPA SUCCESS: Flick Energy co-founder, originally from Carterton, owes her success to her hardworking Wairarapa roots.

Whether it's as an officer in the army or founding an innovative power provider, Shannan Hargreaves credits her success to her industrious Wairarapa roots.

Ms Hargreaves, who lives in Wellington but was raised in Carterton, co-founded Flick Electric, an electricity retailer that gives customers access to the wholesale price of electricity direct from the spot market.

Under her and her fellow founders' leadership, Flick gained nearly 5000 customers in its first year.

Ms Hargreaves, 38, has spent almost two decades in the electricity industry, working for various New Zealand power giants, advising government agencies on responsible energy usage and being nominated for chief executives' awards. It's an auspicious career she credits to the Wairarapa ethos of hard work and punching above one's weight, which was instilled in her from a young age.

"I am Wairarapa to the core," she said.

"I was raised with a strong work ethic. I was encouraged to have high expectations and to stretch myself beyond what I thought was possible. My family taught me you shouldn't be afraid of failing. It's better than not giving it a go at all."

Ms Hargreaves spent her childhood in Carterton, attending Carterton and South End Schools and later Wairarapa College, of which she was head girl. She was a good student, who got good marks by "applying [herself]".

Her work ethic, she said, was inspired by her aunt, who held several jobs while raising a family, and her uncle, who worked his way up to owning Rigg Zschokke Ltd. On their advice she held several holiday jobs -- rolling ice creams at the corner dairy, picking fruit or cleaning her uncle's building sites.

Ms Hargreaves spent time as a trainee officer in the New Zealand Army, which was "scary, terrible and wonderful", and then completed a degree in business psychology at Massey University.

She fell into the electricity industry by accident when she thought she was applying for a job with TranzRail, but was actually interviewing for energy retailer TransAlta.

"It was funny because, although I loved science, I hated physics. Electrons meant nothing."

But Ms Hargreaves was a fast learner, and she spent the next 15 years in the industry, moving into business account management roles at Genesis and Meridian Energy and working with the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority, encouraging businesses to conserve power.

In 2013, she was approached by former colleague Steve O'Connor, now Flick's chief executive, who planned to start a new electricity retailer that would get power to households without the extra mark-up.

She now manages Flick's customer service workers and the behind-the-scenes operations team.

She said her stint in the army prepared her for working in a male-dominated field, but she has never felt disadvantaged.

"Male or female, if you bring your A-game, the possibilities are endless."

Her advice to Carterton youngsters is to dream big. "Don't limit yourself to where you are or allow yourself to be boxed in."