<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Looking back on my career in the industry, I always looked up to Jay Cutler as a bodybuilder, not knowing that after his retirement, I\u2019d look at him in a totally different way.<\/p>\n
A business mogul.<\/p>\n
And to say that I have the utmost respect for Jay is an understatement.<\/p>\n
When you think about successful bodybuilders, it\u2019s easy to focus on the number of Sandow trophies they\u2019ve won, the money they\u2019ve made through sponsorships, or how much they earned standing on a bodybuilding stage. We all know that Jay has collected his fair share of checks from winning shows and sponsorship deals through supplement companies.<\/p>\n
But what happens when the competition days are over? For some, the opportunities dry up and the ride into the sunset (almost being completely forgotten about). For others, bodybuilding becomes the foundation for something much bigger.<\/p>\n
Jay Cutler falls into the latter category.<\/p>\n
In my opinion, outside of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jay Cutler is arguably the most successful retired professional bodybuilder when you look at business, entrepreneurship, and the ability to generate income outside of competing.<\/p>\n
And it\u2019s not necessarily because he built the biggest supplement company or has the highest publicly reported net worth. It\u2019s because he understood how to turn his success in bodybuilding into an empire that would continue working long after he stopped stepping on stage.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve been fortunate enough to spend some time around Jay during my years with MET-Rx. We attended some of the same events and meetings, and even shared a few shuttle rides to and from airports on occasion while traveling to events.<\/p>\n
Getting to interact with him outside the bodybuilding stage gave me an appreciation for the business side of what he was doing.<\/p>\n
Jay wasn\u2019t simply a bodybuilder collecting appearance fees. He was building something bigger.<\/p>\n
Jay Cutler didn\u2019t become a four-time Mr. Olympia by accident. He was incredibly disciplined, driven, and competitive. But something that doesn\u2019t always get enough attention is how he approached the business side of his career.<\/p>\n
While many athletes focus almost entirely on winning their next competition, Jay was thinking about what would come next.<\/p>\n
He has discussed how he had multiple business ventures going while he was still competing. His endorsements created opportunities beyond simply getting paid to promote a product. He was building relationships, developing additional income streams, and investing in opportunities that could pay off long after his competitive career ended.<\/p>\n
In interviews, Jay has talked about moving to Las Vegas partly because of real estate opportunities. He has also discussed how successful he was with those investments.<\/p>\n
He wasn\u2019t waiting until retirement to figure out how to make money. He was using the financial opportunities that came with being one of the world\u2019s best bodybuilders to build a future outside the sport.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n