“Electricity is sexy and very exciting!” Jessica Venning-Bryan, general manager for brand for Flick Electric Co, said. Flick is a start-up that’s shaking up the power business in New Zealand.
For most people, the idea of an electricity company doesn’t exactly match up with words like “sexy” and “exciting”. But just like how Flick is changing the way consumers consume energy, it’s also turning the stilted corporate culture associated with big power companies on its head. Their vibrant office is a reflection of that and in this week’s Workspace, we will be exploring Flick’s base of operating in Wellington as reported by Spandas Lui.
Flick started up two years ago as a business that aims to give consumers control of their power usage, but with a twist. Unlike major electricity retailers that generally bill customers based on a set price per unit of power, Flick has an app that lets its 12,000 customers track their usage every half hour. Flick’s pricing changes every half an hour to reflect the fluctuating costs of wholesale electricity – tracked by Flick using proprietary technology – and customers are charged accordingly.
Through the app, the company can alert customers when electricity prices are particularly low and that it may be a good time to do some power-intensive tasks such as drying their washing. Flick is also extremely environmentally conscious and encourages customers to take advantage of renewable energy when possible.
Despite operating in the power industry, which is dominated by established companies, Flick tries to distance itself from the traditional office environments that usually comes with the territory.
“When you’re building a company from nothing, you have the luxury to create a culture that is very indicative of modern business practices,” Venning-Bryan told Lifehacker Australia. Flick hasn’t taken this luxury for granted and his created a working space for its staff to thrive and collaborate.
The start-up moved into to an office previously occupied by global creative agency Saatchi & Saatchi just last year with just 16 workers. The team has now grown to just over 50 since then. The legacy of the previous tenants can be felt at Flick. When the lift opens, you are greeted by a curtain sporting a tasteful black and white print of a scantily dressed man along with a wall decal of an ice-cream truck. To read more click here.
The National Sustainability in Business Conference; renewables, markets, innovation, opportunities and capital will be held 23 – 24 March 2017 at the Hotel Grand Chancellor, Brisbane.
To register for the conference CLICK HERE.