When it comes to the business of bodybuilding, four-time Mr. Olympia and three-time Arnold Classic Champion Jay Cutler is second to none. Whether it was sharing his life in the form of DVD’s, being early on social media, or the recent success of his Cutler Nutrition supplement line, the man from Massachusetts is usually blazing trails that other bodybuilding and fitness industry personalities are quick to follow.
“Committing to things and having a game plan, I think, is very important,” Cutler explained. “You have to have patience. You have to have a strategic approach.”
That commitment, patience, and approach has paid off for him in numerous ways. Aside from his financial rewards, the most important part of anything he does is how it connects him to his fans in a positive way. That is how he wants to be remembered now and for many years to come.
“I have this huge, huge fanbase. How can I give back to who follows me and who might follow me? I just look at creating content for people that may look at me as sort of an inspirational model. Everything about me has been and is about leaving a legacy,” Cutler said. The next step in that legacy will be in the digital and web3 space. Cutler is joining forces with longtime friend and business associate Whitney Reid to launch The Meta Pumps, their non-fungible token (NFT) project. NFT’s are non-interchangeable units of data that are stored on a blockchain, and they can be stored, sold, or traded. Many business trends have led entrepreneurs down the digital path. While there has been a boom in recent years, Cutler and Reid have planned out their project carefully.
“There are people that have already done NFT things in the fitness space, but this one has taken a lot of time,” Cutler shared. That time commitment is intentional because he wants to make sure this venture is successful now and later.
“I’m looking at the long-term project rather than short term and just releasing them for the sole purpose of monetary exposure,” said Cutler. While Reid could’ve possibly joined forces with several other bodybuilding stars and legends, it was a no-brainer for him to go all-in on this project with Cutler.
“Looking at Jay’s success on social media and with his other ventures over the years, no one else in the bodybuilding world have grasped how powerful your brand can be as well as Jay. I’ve traveled all over with him and seen his influence, in person. It is unlike anything else,” Reid said. “We have been to military bases, and seen fans that have met him before, and Jay will remember their names. No one else in this industry is that in tune with his fan base.”
Another person who is well acquainted with Cutler and his track record is Olympia president Dan Solomon, who shared his excitement when he heard that Cutler and Reid were going to take this step forward.
“Jay has always kept his eye and ears open to opportunities in the business world. His instincts in business are as good as they were as an athlete. I’m excited to see this NFT project come to life,” Solomon says.
The Meta Pumps will feature 9,600 individual and unique characters that will be available for purchase. Characters that could be purchased have names such as “Bill Heat” and “Max Paulson.” There will also be various forms of Cutler himself based on various stages of his incredible career.
Many NFT’s are simple digital art that allow you to have exclusive ownership of it. Because Cutler and Reid want to make sure that owners get a greater return on their investment, the Meta Pumps 3D NFT’s will be different because they will include other benefits for the owner such as discounts on Cutler Nutrition products, exclusive online chats with Cutler, and more. Reid explained that this extra commitment could be what separates his and Cutler’s project from others that may not have fared as well.
“Our project is all about utility. You’re going to receive something tangible when you purchase one of these NFT’s,” says Reid. “Beyond that, we are building a fitness community in web3 (a new iteration for the World Wide Web). So, everything is transitioning into web3. Our goal is to create this community in web3 and be a part of something early.”
Cutler is taking this step with Reid and has full confidence in its potential, but he knows that whether it is fans that have followed him since his amateur days, or those that look to him as a mentor for personal fitness goals now, he offers advice for everyone that may be considering entering the digital world or any other financial venture.
“Do your research. Everyone’s going to be hesitant – even I was hesitant at first,” Cutler admitted. “Seeing many of these projects and knowing they won’t be successful long-term made me think about what we can do to ensure that this project will be. Take the time to learn and research it. You just can’t do something because it’s a trend. It’s just like anything else that is an investment in your future.”
Cutler also has used this opportunity to scratch that competitive itch that he still has despite not competing since his final contest at the 2013 Mr. Olympia. It also is another way that allows him to learn more about the digital world. Both of those opportunities are meaningful to him.
“I’m not in the gym trying to break records anymore. So, for me, this is a really cool and unique space that I am learning about more every day. I’m no expert by any means. Whitney and I have more conversations about this every day. It’s exciting!”
