The Cheer Biz Podcast

Busy But Broke: Why Cheer Gyms Are Struggling

Cheer gym owners are some of the hardest-working business owners out there, yet many are running packed practices, full seasons, and nonstop schedules while still feeling broke at the end of the month.

In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton breaks down why so many cheer gyms look successful on the outside but struggle financially behind the scenes. We talk about the financial mistakes that quietly drain profit, including incorrect pricing, not paying yourself as the owner, messy books, relying on the wrong CPA, and allowing past-due accounts to pile up.

Dan also explains why being “busy” is not the same as being profitable, how cheer gym owners accidentally turn themselves into the most underpaid employee in the business, and why hoping to “sell the gym someday” isn’t a real exit strategy if the gym still depends on you for everything.

If you want a cheer gym that’s profitable, sustainable, and capable of growth without burnout, this episode will help you see exactly what needs to change.

Cheer Gym Owners: Stop Taking Bad Advice

Every cheer gym owner gets hit with opinions. The problem is, most of those opinions come from people who don’t understand your business—and taking their advice can cost you money, create chaos, and slow your growth. In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton breaks down exactly who you should be careful listening to when making decisions about your cheer gym, pricing, marketing, culture, and leadership.

Dan explains why well-meaning biological parents tend to push safe, conservative choices, why staff input can accidentally create slow decision-making and entitlement, and why one loud unhappy customer can pull you into knee-jerk decisions that upset your happy majority. He also calls out the internet at large, ChatGPT as a “business coach,” and business gurus who aren’t actively running cheer gyms—plus the real-world consequences of taking generic advice that doesn’t fit the cheer industry.

If you’re a cheer gym owner, director, or coach, this episode will help you build a smarter “advice filter,” choose the right mentors, and make confident decisions based on proven experience—not noise.

The Leader You Need to Be in 2026

If you want to be a stronger leader in your cheer gym in 2026, you need better questions—not more hustle. In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton shares seven questions every leader should ask themselves to level up leadership, strengthen staff performance, and build a team that can operate without constant supervision.

Dan breaks down how to evaluate whether you’re actually growing as a leader, whether your team is rising with you or falling behind, and whether you’ve provided the tools, systems, and clarity your staff needs to succeed. He also explains the difference between developing leaders versus managing doers, how to delegate at the level your business requires, and how to identify whether your team is getting better because of your leadership—or in spite of it.

This episode is a must-listen for cheer gym owners, program directors, head coaches, and managers who want better staff accountability, smoother operations, and a culture where people take ownership. You’ll walk away with a simple leadership framework you can revisit annually to improve your communication, delegation, systems, and team development.

Creating Demand for Cheer in a Small Town

If you own a cheer gym in a rural area or you’re the first program in your community, your biggest challenge is simple: education. Parents can’t buy what they don’t understand. In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton shares how to educate a small-town market about all star cheerleading, build awareness fast, and position your gym as the go-to destination for youth sports training.

Dan breaks down three practical strategies that work especially well in rural communities: show up at every public performance opportunity (and capture leads while you’re there), use social media to show what you do beyond flyers, and host community events at your facility that double as lead-generation machines. He also explains why your follow-up system matters more than your ad budget—and why paid ads are wasted if you don’t have automation, waivers, and email/SMS follow-up in place.

If you’re building a cheer gym in a small town, trying to grow enrollment, or launching a program where cheer isn’t mainstream yet, this episode gives you a clear plan to create demand, capture leads, and corner your market.

The Athlete Buy-In Blueprint

In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton breaks down one of the most common frustrations in all star cheer: how to get more commitment, dedication, and buy-in from your athletes. After 22 years of coaching, Dan shares what actually works to build teams that show up, work hard, and care about standards—without pretending you can magically guarantee perfect attendance or perfect attitudes.

You’ll learn how to build identity first so performance follows, create team values and shared language, and use rituals that make athletes feel like they belong. Dan also explains how to focus on growth over outcomes, praise effort and progress, normalize mistakes in practice, and create structured autonomy so athletes feel ownership without coaches losing control.

This episode also covers the leadership side: building strong coach-athlete relationships, checking in emotionally, correcting wisely, and creating a practice environment athletes don’t want to miss. If you’re a cheer gym owner, coach, or program director who wants better effort, stronger culture, and more consistent attendance, this is your blueprint to build dedicated teams the right way.

Your Cheer Gym’s 2026 Wake-Up Call

If you want your cheer gym to be unrecognizable in 2026 (in the best way), this episode is your wake-up call. In this high-energy episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton lays out the real steps it takes to transform a cheer gym business—no fluff, no motivation without execution. He talks about why most owners “nod their head” and never follow through, and what it actually looks like to commit to growth when it gets uncomfortable.

Dan breaks down the core drivers of real change for cheer gym owners:

Set measurable 2026 goals and track them consistently

Systemize everything so you stop being the bottleneck

Level up your staff so your capabilities multiply

Learn to use AI as a tool that saves time and increases output

Master your calendar with time blocking and batching

Replace bad habits with better ones so your energy and focus match your goals

If you run a cheer gym, tumbling program, or youth sports facility and you want more enrollment, better systems, stronger staff, and a calmer business in 2026, start here.

Tryouts Are Closer Than You Think

Tryouts are closer than you think—and if parents don’t trust your team placements, the day after tryouts can turn into emails, angry calls, and families threatening to quit. In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton breaks down how to build trust in your placement decisions before tryouts even happen by tightening your systems and educating parents early.


Dan shares how his gym went from dreading team announcement day to having only a handful of post-placement conversations—by clarifying expectations, creating a skills rubric (low/medium/high range), and changing the tryout process so coaches evaluate athletes over time instead of a quick snapshot.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to:

Create a clear tumbling + execution rubric so parents understand what “level-ready” really means

Use level evaluations + 2–3 weeks of level practices to place teams with more confidence and accuracy

Educate families on stunting roles, team needs, and why placements aren’t only about tumbling

Reduce entitlement and confusion by explaining your methodology upfront

Protect your time by preventing placement blowups before they start

If you’re a cheer gym owner, director, or coach, this episode gives you a practical placement system that builds parent buy-in, improves team quality, and makes tryout season calmer for everyone.

Why Boys Don’t Join Your Gym

Want more male athletes in your cheer gym? In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton breaks down what actually works (and what doesn’t) when it comes to building a strong coed cheer program. Dan shares lessons learned over eight years of running coed teams—from the early “all-girl gym” days to growing a true boys pipeline—and explains why most gyms struggle to recruit male cheerleaders in the first place.

You’ll learn how to:

Make it obvious online that your gym is open to boys through branding, content, and messaging

Use stunting as the gateway to get boys hooked quickly

Run open stunt sessions and create low-pressure entry points for new male athletes

Fully integrate boys into the sport instead of letting them “stunt only”

Motivate boys through competition, strength, community, and responsibility

Avoid the common mistakes that backfire, including “boys cheer for free” and out-of-town recruiting

If you’re a cheer gym owner, director, or coach who wants more coed opportunities, stronger stunting groups, and a healthier pipeline of male athletes, this episode gives you the real strategy to make it happen.

Why Parents Don’t “Trust the Process”

In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton sits down with Chris Rack, owner of Cheer Athletics Chicago, a former corporate executive who left a high-level leadership career to build a cheer gym—and challenge the status quo. Chris shares what happens when you bring sales and marketing systems, speed-to-lead, and world-class customer service into an industry that often struggles with communication.

You’ll hear how Chris built processes to respond to leads quickly, why “trust the process” frustrates parents when the process isn’t explained, and how his gym earned a wave of five-star Google reviews in its first months by obsessing over the customer experience. He also breaks down how to create buy-in with athletes and staff, why fear-based coaching is fading, and what modern athletes need from gym owners now.

If you’re a cheer gym owner, director, or coach looking to improve communication, retention, culture, and growth, this episode is packed with practical ideas you can implement immediately.

Culture Misalignment: The Breaking Point

In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton breaks down a tough question every cheer gym owner eventually faces: when should you fire a customer and end the relationship? Dan shares why he’s not a fan of the “Bye Felicia” mentality, but also explains the two situations where letting someone go is not only justified—it’s necessary to protect your business, staff, and gym culture.

You’ll learn how to handle:

Nonpayment and why allowing multiple missed months creates a hole most families can’t climb out of

Culture and values misalignment, including gossip, public negativity, and rumor-spreading that poisons trust

When to have a sit-down conversation vs. when it’s time to part ways

How to set clear expectations so you don’t enable entitlement or inconsistency

Why educating new families (and re-educating long-time ones) prevents problems before they escalate

If you’re a cheer gym owner, director, or program manager, this episode gives you a clear framework to protect your culture, enforce standards with professionalism, and make the hard decision the right way.