Entrepreneur Spotlight: Liz Renner with Only10Pounds.com

Michael Ventrella, a contestant on the popular weight loss show “The Biggest Loser,” dropped 264 pounds in one season. Ventralla, along with numerous other contestants, inspired audiences to shed pound after pound with their remarkable transformations.

But Liz Renner, owner of Only10Pounds.com, stresses the importance of losing small amounts of weight as well.

“’The Biggest Loser’ is so dramatic and it makes great TV,” Renner said. “I thought maybe a website might be a better platform for a smaller weight loss goal — especially a site that concentrated on local resources.”

Renner launched Only10Pounds.com in June 2011, with the help of web designer and developer Eric Downs and communications strategists Emspace Group. Renner said Emspace Group offered a great deal of advice on communications and public relations strategy, while Downs perfected branding and web development.

“Eric brought an innovative sense about where the brand and the concept could go,” Renner said. “He was able to help visualize something that was fairly unique and still a very raw concept.”

The website is based on a revenue model that Renner described as instinctual. Each player pays a small registration fee and a set amount (for the communal pot) before each round of play. Because players provide the prize money, there is an incentive to have friends and family sign up. The more people playing, the bigger the prize.

“I recognized what a powerful motivator money is, especially when it is your own money on the line,” Renner said. “At that point, the idea transformed from a blog into a 21^st-century version of the office pool.”

Businesses with a focus or interest in weight loss, health and wellness host the weigh-ins and weigh-outs. In exchange for a membership fee, these businesses receive advertising on Only10Pounds.com and the Only 10 Pounds Facebook page. They also get foot traffic in their stores or offices on the days of the weigh-ins.

While Renner is currently refining this revenue model, she is also working on enhancements to the website. In the future, Renner plans to expand the blog portion of Only 10 Pounds. It will become the go-to place for weight loss ideas, she said.

She also hopes to offer in-house competitions for organizations, businesses and groups by enhancing the registration functionality on the website.

Because Renner is from Omaha, the website is currently targeted at Omaha residents and people in the surrounding areas. She hopes to eventually expand to cities across the country.

“Long-term, I see Only 10 Pounds as a very scalable concept ­­– like Groupon or Craig’s List,” Renner said. “I plan to take it national.”

With three important points, Renner described the mission of Only 10 Pounds:

1. The best business deal is one where everyone at the table walks away feeling they’ve won.

2. Nothing motivates more than having “skin in the game.”

3. Whenever possible, I want to support local business.

“There are so many ways to enter or become engaged with a website or product,” Renner said. “You really have to think about how to keep that experience seamless and consistent.”

Renner thinks a project like this was overdue for a lot of dieters. Renner herself has tried every diet, crazy workout, boot camp and Zumba. But through Only 10 Pounds, Renner found something that truly worked.

She has a genuine interest for everyone who signs up to succeed. The weight loss is about more than looking good; it’s a benefit to peoples’ health and quality of life, Renner said.

“I am humbled by people who successfully lose weight,” Renner said, “whether it’s 10 or 100 pounds.”