{"id":18357,"date":"2021-11-12T09:08:15","date_gmt":"2021-11-12T09:08:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thedailyherald.co.uk\/?p=18357"},"modified":"2023-03-03T09:44:41","modified_gmt":"2023-03-03T09:44:41","slug":"who-is-charlie-hutton-underground-leader-of-men-or-crazed-cult-creator","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedailyherald.co.uk\/entertainment\/who-is-charlie-hutton-underground-leader-of-men-or-crazed-cult-creator\/","title":{"rendered":"Who Is Charlie Hutton \u2013 Underground Leader Of Men or Crazed Cult Creator?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It\u2019s 2 pm on a Sunday in November as I pull onto the drive of Charlie Hutton\u2019s<\/a> home. <\/p>\n\n\n

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The family have just returned home from a rugby tournament. Charlie\u2019s eight-year-old son, Barney, sits on a towel, caked in mud, grinning from ear to ear in the back of a Lexus hybrid. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Charlie invites me in, his wife of 10 years, Emma, assesses the monumental level of dirt and jokes that her \u2018try scoring\u2019 son may need a hosing down. As she takes Barney and his muddy gear around to the utility room, Charlie and I step through the front door. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once inside of his modest home in Lichfield, Staffordshire, I\u2019m instantly grateful for the cosiness on this cold day. Like all good Brits, Charlie heads straight into the kitchen to put the kettle on and offers tea and biscuits \u2013 although he confesses, \u201cI prefer coffee.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In-person, Charlie is warm and unruffled. Yet there is an element of nervousness in him; I suspect an irrepressible excitement about what\u2019s to come. He is reflective, yet somehow open and relaxed. A man who displays confidence in himself on the outside and yet maintains an air of elusiveness and humility within.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We pad through to Charlie\u2019s home office, where inside the shelves are filled with books. I noticed numerous classics from ‘The Art Of War’ by Sun Tsu to ‘Meditations’ by Marcus Aurelius. Yet for every book on history and philosophy, there is one on business, nutrition, sports and peak performance. The vast topics and interests covered suggest that over the years there\u2019s been some inner reflection, personal growth and historic mistakes. <\/p>\n\n\n

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As we move through the hall, Charlie jokes that right now he takes Arnold Schwarzenegger’s autobiography ‘Total Recall’ to bed \u2013 a fact that Emma is quick to playfully tease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While clearly an active and avid reader, Charlie is far from an inactive recluse. He humbly avoids talking about his younger years spent on the ice. “Ice hockey?” I ask \u2013 it seems like a strange choice. He chuckles and shakes his head. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“There’s something about being encouraged to punch another man square in the mouth,” he jokes. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

“Men should play competitive team sports more. It gives humility and brotherhood, you know?” Indeed. Modesty and the need for men to have others standing with them and by their side saturate our conversation from the off. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, for Charlie, you can tell this virtue in modesty runs deep. He doesn’t like to brag and when we briefly touch on playing hockey \u2018abroad\u2019, he chooses not to disclose the full story. The honour of Great Britain selection and the moving to Canada to step it up seem to be willingly left untold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gracefully ushering me through to the lounge, Charlie relaxes into the deep sofa in jogging bottoms and fluffy socks. His son, Barney, freshly showered and exhausted after rugby, heads to the playroom with Disney+ flickering on the TV, while Johnny Cash acts as the backdrop to mine and Charlie\u2019s discussion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As he starts talking, it’s clear he has an aura. I can see for the first time why people are magnetically drawn to him and his unassuming dark attire. From what I’ve read, his trademark \u201cOne Man Empire<\/strong>\u201d shirt has rockstar status among fans and followers, and as we start to sit down, the three words printed across his chest really start to resonate on a deeper level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He tries to make sense of his rise. \u201cI honestly don\u2019t know how much of it was me,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cBut there is something abnormal or super-normal about being really honest and upfront around the shit I fucked up as a man in this game today.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Charlie and his wife, Emma, both describe the moment they first witnessed the power of coming clean about the realities and impact of operating a business.<\/p>\n\n\n

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It was half an hour after the documentary hit the airwaves. \u201cThe views just kept going up and up, and the comments \u2013 WOW,\u201d recalls Emma. \u201cYou could feel the emotion through the screen from the men watching it. At that point, it was not totally clear that Charlie was what every man was looking for, but it was clear that some were ready for a breath of fresh air.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Charlie, what followed over the next couple of weeks was a near out of body experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cDespite speaking on stage and in front of thousands all over the world, I didn\u2019t know what to say next to these men that were overwhelmed and fucking shit up like I was,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t know what I was going to do. I just remember thinking I need to follow this up with more videos. But I was like \u2018What do I say? Maybe I\u2019ll just introduce myself. I\u2019ll take questions.\u2019 In the end, I just turned on the camera and started talking \u2013 almost daily. I don\u2019t know if you’d class them as inspiring and motivational. Regardless, they seemed to hit a nerve. I guess some men out there felt relief that someone else got what it was like to be misunderstood.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Five years on and two bestselling books later, One Man Empire<\/a> has grown into an underground movement with a global audience and cult-like following with those who appreciate Charlie\u2019s No BS approach to business and life.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether on stage, online or in-person, Charlie has a natural openness when he talks. When quizzed about being able to resonate with so many men, it’s the sincerity he loves about what he calls the One Man Empire movement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cI think that\u2019s the beauty of the world today: you can\u2019t hide from who you are. People want honesty, and when you’re honest about the good and<\/em> the bad, that goes a long way,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

As we go deeper, I can see why Charlie regularly takes a lot of heat online. For some, I suspect his language is too foul, too politically incorrect and even too masculine \u2013 but maybe that\u2019s part of his appeal. <\/p>\n\n\n

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When asked about the \u2018sexism\u2019 of focusing on just men \u2013 a topic that has dogged him from day dot, Charlie hedges with; <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m a man and I understand being a man. It would be wrong for me to speak to and about women. I’m not a woman and I don\u2019t understand what it’s like to be one\u2026 I\u2019m into talking about what I know<\/strong> and leaving everything else to those that are more qualified…” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“My sense in speaking with people over the years is that most actually appreciate the fact that I only talk about what I have experience<\/strong> in \u2013 being in business<\/strong> and being male<\/strong>.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

It seems these days that if you stand up and take a position on something, anything, then you\u2019ll be offending someone somewhere, and Charlie seems comfortable with his choices. In fact, he embraces this cult personality and renegade leadership role, offering himself as the self-made man\u2019s David to corporate Goliaths \u2013 a folk hero<\/strong>, you could say, for the self-made man of today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interestingly, for someone so steeped in helping others take back control of their businesses, he spends little time talking about business or money. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe men I deal with don\u2019t just care about money,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThey care about making, providing and being \u2013 it’s more about having time<\/strong>, having freedom<\/strong>, having choice<\/strong>…” <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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“…They don\u2019t want some guy telling them how to make billions \u2013 they just want to know how to make enough to make a difference. To be able to really provide and protect, you know \u2013 to be free.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nevertheless, it’s clear from the results that transforming businesses into money-making machines is a consistent side effect of what he does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It seems now and on the business side, most of Charlie\u2019s time is focused on driving the One Man Empire movement as a whole, while working closely with and helping a handful of select few men who choose to step into his inner circle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Fellowship, his pioneering group of just thirty smart, ambitious individuals, is consistently sold out and is now being supplemented with a new opportunity and experience called The Alliance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The Fellowship has changed and will continue to radically change lives<\/strong>,” commented Charlie. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“This next evolution is about how we can help more men who are stuck at the helm of their own business. The kind of men that just need a little bit of direction and brotherhood to forge them in fire and push them past plateaus<\/strong>.” <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

As the light starts to dip and the evening draws in \u2014 the playlist slips from classic country to classic rock \u2014 Charlie remains candid about other projects in the pipeline. It’s clear there are plans to launch a charity project in the upcoming months. Reading between the lines, I suspect something to do with supporting male causes \u2013 but I\u2019m uncertain and only time will tell. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As our time comes to an end and we say goodbye, I realise the more he talks, the more I like the sound of what he\u2019s saying \u2013 real and raw, no matter the fallout. One thing is for certain \u2013 he is a man on a mission. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A leader of men<\/strong>? That I am now convinced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A crazed cult creator? I think Charlie would be the first to proudly say yes to this one too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The One Man Empire Documentary Trailer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n