The Cheer Biz Podcast

Excuses That Kill Progress

If you’ve coached long enough, you’ve heard them all.
In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotten breaks down 10 things athletes say that drive cheer coaches crazy—from “that technique doesn’t work for me,” to “can I skip the drills,” to the ultimate frustration: “I quit.”
But here’s the twist: halfway through, Dan flips the script and shows how cheer gym owners and cheer coaches use the same exact excuses in business—around marketing, CRM systems, time management, pricing, and growth. If you’ve ever caught yourself thinking “that wouldn’t work in my gym,” this episode will hit in the best way.

You’ll walk away with a clearer framework for coaching mindset, athlete accountability, skill progression, and leadership habits that actually create results—on the mat and in the office.

Systems Protect Athletes - Not Just Policies

Most cheer gym owners think “safeguarding” only means preventing the worst-case scenarios. But real athlete welfare runs deeper than policies and paperwork.

In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton interviews Joey (Joanna) Gamper Cuthbert, former cheer athlete, coach, gym owner, and the author of Squad Safe: A Practical Guide to Athlete Welfare and Culture Change in Cheerleading. They unpack why cheer gyms need clearer standards, stronger systems, and a culture that protects athletes and coaches alike.

You’ll hear why culture isn’t what your website says—it’s what happens behind the curtain, why “we’re family” messaging can backfire, and how intentional values, boundaries, and expectations help red flags stand out before something becomes a crisis. They also discuss practical realities like coach-athlete communication, consent and spotting, and why cheer needs more evidence-based, sport-science thinking to keep athletes safer and performing at their best.

Readable Routines Win

Judging a cheer competition is harder than most coaches realize, and that matters for your scores.

In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton shares what he learned after judging at a competition in Fargo, North Dakota, and how cheer gym owners and cheer coaches can design, clean, and train routines to score higher. We break down why “readability” affects execution, how stacking sections too tightly can cost you tenths, and why giving judges a breather can help your team get the credit you actually earned.

Dan also explains what judges are really trying to track in real time, plus the execution drivers that get hit the fastest: uniform flexibility, locked legs, base movement, transitions, and synchronization. If your athletes don’t understand the score sheet, they’ll make “safe” choices that can quietly drop you out of range and wreck your score.

8 Non-Negotiables: Tryout Edition

Tryouts might be in May, but if you wait until April to plan… you’re already behind.

In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton walks cheer gym owners through the 8 things you MUST do now to set up your best tryout season for the 2026–2027 year. We cover how to evaluate what worked (and what didn’t) this season, how to build a tryout packet that sells your program without overwhelming parents, and how to plan your budget, tuition, and assessments so your cheer program is actually profitable.

Dan also breaks down what to market internally vs externally, how to use organic posts as “market research” before you spend on ads, why your website needs a high-converting tryout page with an opt-in (stop giving your packet away for free), and how email + SMS automation can turn leads into registrations without you living on your phone.

If you want more athletes at tryouts, smoother registration, and a repeatable system that fills teams year after year, this episode is your playbook.

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.