In 2011, Elan Lohmann and an assortment of his online friends challenged each other to shed some weight and shape up within six weeks. They called it ‘SleekGeek’. To stay motivated, Lohmann and his 12 friends created a Facebook group and each put R500 into a kitty.

Six months later, quitting his job was Lohmann’s first step toward turning SleekGeek into something that pays in more ways than dropping a pants size. In the 15 months since taking to the web, the SleekGeek Facebook group has garnered over 4 500 active participants, and a recent challenge prize pot stood at R80 000. Lohmann is now focussing on helping 100 000 South Africans have a health makeover.