The Cheer Biz Podcast

Brooke’s cheerleading career started because some friends at recess told her she couldn’t do a back walkover. Years later, she would go on to compete at Worlds, spend three years at Trinity Valley, transfer to Weber State, and experience some of the highest levels of competitive college cheer. In this episode of The Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton sits down with Brooke, a member of the Dream Camps staff, to talk about the journey that got her there. Brooke shares how going back to the basics completely changed her tumbling, what it was like walking into Trinity Valley without ever visiting the school, and the hours athletes spent training outside of scheduled practices. She also opens up about one of the biggest challenges of her career: discovering she had a bilateral break in her back during her first year at Trinity Valley. After months away from tumbling and a carefully planned return, Brooke unexpectedly earned a spot in the Daytona routine — and her team went on to win. Later, at Weber State, she faced another challenge when she found herself physically capable of competing but without a spot on the mat. Instead of checking out, she kept learning, conditioning, and preparing until an opportunity came just days before showoffs. Dan and Brooke also talk about mental blocks, pressure, the differences between Trinity Valley and Weber State, her plans after college cheer, and why coaches should never let competition take away the part of cheer that made athletes fall in love with it in the first place.

Dan calls himself an AI super fan — he uses it every single day, in multiple parts of his business, at the same time he's recording this episode. But he's also telling you flat out: AI is not your business coach, and treating it like one is going to cost you. He walks through exactly why, using two real examples. First, when a frustrated parent kept sending him emails, he fed the situation to AI and asked what to do — it told him to cut the family loose completely and stop responding. He didn't listen, called the parent instead, had a real conversation, and kept the family in the gym. Second, a client used AI to build her tuition budget off last season's pricing instead of the actual pricing calculator — the numbers looked great, but she would have lost money running her teams if she'd used them. Dan breaks down why AI is limited to whatever narrow data you feed it, why it still doesn't understand human beings well enough to make judgment calls, and where it's actually incredibly useful in a gym (just not as your coach). Before you dive in, make sure you're in the Cheer Gym Owners and All-Star Cheer Coaches and Owners Facebook groups. And if you want real coaching instead of an AI's best guess, get signed up for a Cheer Biz Accelerator event — the last 2026 date is in November at Oregon Dream Teams (it may be sold out depending on when you're listening), with more events coming in 2027.

There's a real difference between a good routine and a great one — and Dan's spent years figuring out why some gyms consistently get the second and most don't. In this episode, he breaks down the six things that quietly sabotage a choreography session before the choreographer even shows up. Dan gets specific, including calling out his own World's team as an example: his large coed program is heading into choreography with 34 athletes (trying to build to 38) but not enough tumbling to match, while his senior medium four — 32 kids on a team of 30, with 26 standing tucks and 22 one-and-a-half twist tucks — is walking in clean. He covers building your team correctly before choreography starts, what your choreographer actually needs to know ahead of time (and when to tell them), why skipping motion and performance training backfires, how interrupting your choreographer's flow or checking out during the session tanks the final product, and why "we'll fix it later" almost always creates bigger problems at competition. He closes with a few bonus tips, including one on just taking care of your choreographer as a person. Before you dive in, make sure you're in the Cheer Gym Owners and All-Star Cheer Coaches and Owners Facebook groups. And if you want to work directly with Dan and his team, the last 2026 Cheer Biz Accelerator event still has spots open — happening in November at Oregon Dream Teams in Portland, Oregon (the Missouri event is already sold out).

Dan breaks down a conversation he had with Danielle about a pattern they keep seeing in gym-owner partnerships: the cheer-focused partner overrules the business-focused partner, and it usually goes badly. He walks through the four mistakes cheer-obsessed owners make over and over — overpaying for choreographers and custom music without budgeting for the cleanups that follow, letting coaches schedule unbudgeted extra practices that quietly turn into self-approved raises, keeping teams capped at magic numbers like 11 (or crossing over athletes without charging them enough to cover it), and prioritizing teams so hard that classes, parties, and the revenue that actually keeps the doors open get pushed to the back burner. If you're the "cheer person" in your partnership (or you don't have a business partner at all), Dan makes the case for getting into the Cheer Gym Owners or All-Star Cheer Coaches and Owners Facebook groups, attending a Cheer Biz Accelerator event, or joining NG Academy to pair up with a coach who knows both sides.

The economy, Gen Z, the president - Dan says none of these are why your gym is struggling. In this direct, no-punches-pulled episode, he breaks down the six real reasons some gyms are thriving while others are stuck, and why almost none of it comes down to bad luck. He covers outdated marketing (straight-line funnels stopped working back in 2024), weak offers that don't tell a story, underpricing that attracts the wrong clients, refusing to follow proven systems because "that won't work for us," being too impatient to let a strategy actually work, and skipping a CRM because it's easier to keep doing things the old way. Along the way, he shares how one NextGen client, Taylor McKeg, took her gym from $200,000 to over a million dollars in annual revenue in three and a half years simply by following the system exactly as taught. Before diving in, make sure you're in the Cheer Gym Owners and All-Star Cheer Coaches and Owners Facebook groups, and if you're looking to grow your gym, check out the last remaining 2026 Cheer Biz Accelerator event at Dan's facility in November.

“I’m too busy.” “My gym is different.” “No one can do it better than me.” They might feel true in the moment, but Dan believes these are three of the biggest lies cheer gym owners tell themselves — and they could be keeping your business from growing. In this episode, Dan breaks down why being busy doesn’t always mean you’re spending your time on the right things, why waiting for things to “slow down” is a losing strategy, and how a simple time audit can show you where your day is actually going. He also tackles the idea that your gym is so different that proven business strategies won’t work for you, and why changing too much when implementing something new can be the reason it fails. Finally, Dan gets into one of the hardest beliefs for owners to let go of: “No one can do it better than me.” He explains why holding onto everything yourself limits your growth, why someone else doing something 80% as well can still be a huge win, and why your job as an owner is sometimes to find or develop people who can eventually do things better than you. Before you dive in, make sure you're in the Cheer Gym Owners and All-Star Cheer Coaches and Owners Facebook groups, and if you want to learn directly from Dan's team, check out the upcoming Cheer Biz Accelerator events.

For 11 years, Dan was everything at DreamCamps — CEO, COO, sales, marketing, camp director, and just about every role in between. This year, he finally realized that the thing holding the company back from its next level of growth was him. In this episode, Dan shares why he made the decision to build out a management team and start handing off responsibilities he had personally owned for more than a decade. He walks through the roles he added, why he chose to promote people from within, and how putting the right people in operations, customer service, staffing, sales, and leadership allowed DreamCamps to keep running without him being involved in every decision. He also gets into the harder side of delegation — realizing his team didn't actually need him in the ways they once did, learning to let other people take ownership, and figuring out when a business is truly ready for its owner to step back. Most importantly, Dan explains why freeing up your time only matters if you're intentional about what you do with it next. If you're a cheer gym owner who still has a hand in nearly every part of your business, this episode is about recognizing when you've become the bottleneck — and building the team, systems, and trust needed to move into your role as the CEO. Before you dive in, make sure you're in the Cheer Gym Owners and All-Star Cheer Coaches and Owners Facebook groups, and if you want to learn directly from Dan's team, check out the upcoming Cheer Biz Accelerator events.

Dan is back in the studio after three months on the road, and he has some hot takes about what he's been seeing across the cheer industry. In this episode, Dan works through 10 topics that have been on his mind this summer, starting with why he believes coaching private lessons is easier than teaching classes and why the days of spending $100 on Facebook ads and expecting a flood of new members are over. He also gets into the growing amount of AI-generated instructional content in cheer, why underperforming staff are often undertrained and undersupervised, and how the language coaches use can impact an athlete's confidence and development. Dan also shares his thoughts on parents stepping in every time their child faces adversity, the major Worlds division changes happening this season, and why cheer gyms need to stop fighting over athletes when there's a much bigger market of kids who aren't involved in the sport at all. He wraps up with one of his strongest takes: when things aren't going right in your gym, the first place you need to look is at yourself as the owner. Before you dive in, make sure you're in the Cheer Gym Owners and All-Star Cheer Coaches and Owners Facebook groups, and if you want to learn directly from Dan's team, check out the upcoming Cheer Biz Accelerator events.

Originally recorded in October 2023, we're re-releasing this conversation because it's still just as relevant today. Dan sits down with Jason Larkins, host of the Let's Talk Cheer podcast, to work through a list of real questions submitted by NextGen Academy gym owners - and it turns into one of the most practical, wide-ranging conversations on the show. They dig into how to fix choreography mid-season without blowing up a routine, Jason's parent-email strategy for cutting down athlete absences (and his "we're all missing kids" gut-check for coaches), how to keep practice productive when half a stunt group is gone, and why Jason has started making his teams finish their work before letting them go instead of ending practice strictly on time. They also get into the harder stuff: co-managing a gym with your spouse, managing stress on competition day, and Dan's ongoing gripe with the 25/75 scoring split. Before you dive in, make sure you're in the Cheer Gym Owners and All-Star Cheer Coaches and Owners Facebook groups, and if you want to learn directly from Dan's team, check out the upcoming Cheer Biz Accelerator events.

The cheer industry is huge, but the network behind it is small — and your reputation travels fast. In this episode, Dan Cotton breaks down why how you treat independent providers (choreographers, camp companies) and your own staff can make or break your gym's reputation — and what to do if you're already struggling with it. Dan shares a real story from this summer: a longtime program canceled 60 camp beds with only 14 days' notice, and what that kind of last-minute cancellation actually costs the people you hire. He also covers how staff turnover and disorganization build a reputation that follows you, and why every gym owner should have a business coach in their corner. Don't miss the Cheer Biz Accelerator events happening in 2026 and 2027 — visit cheerbizaccelerator.com for details. Join the conversation: Cheer Gym Owners (Facebook) → [link] All-Star Cheer Coaches and Owners (Facebook) → [link]

Winning Worlds is an incredible accomplishment—but sometimes the biggest lessons in cheer come from the moments that don't end with a trophy. In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton sits down with Kaden Snyder, World Champion with MACS Senior Starz and Weber State Cheer athlete, for an honest conversation about resilience, leadership, elite tumbling, and what it really takes to grow as an athlete. Kaden shares the highs of competing at the highest levels of all star and college cheer, but he also opens up about one of the most difficult moments of his career and how it completely changed the way he views leadership, teammates, and success. If you're a cheer athlete, coach, parent, or gym owner, this episode is a reminder that some of the most valuable lessons in cheer happen when things don't go according to plan.

In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton explains why the biggest mistake cheer gym owners make with artificial intelligence is treating it like a chatbot instead of an employee. Dan shares how he's using AI every day to automate repetitive tasks, manage communications, build software, organize information, and save hours of work each week. More importantly, he explains the mindset shift that every gym owner needs to make if they want to stay ahead as AI continues to transform business. Instead of asking AI to simply answer questions or write emails, Dan demonstrates how it can become a true part of your team—handling recurring tasks, summarizing information, drafting communications, improving workflows, and helping you focus on the work that only a human can do. In this episode, Dan discusses: Why AI should be viewed as an employee, not a chatbot How AI can automate repetitive work inside a cheer gym Why gym owners should avoid chasing every new AI tool The difference between AI assistants and AI agents How automation can improve productivity and communication Why learning AI today will create a competitive advantage tomorrow If you are a cheer gym owner, coach, or entrepreneur, this episode will change the way you think about AI and show you how to start using it to save time, improve systems, and grow your business.

Too many cheer gym owners make pricing, staffing, marketing, and growth decisions based on gut feelings instead of real business data. In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton breaks down the essential numbers every cheer gym owner should track to make smarter, more profitable decisions. He explains why knowing your total revenue is only the beginning—and why you also need to understand where that revenue comes from, which payments are overdue, what your business is spending, and how much each athlete is actually worth to your gym. Dan walks through key cheer gym metrics including revenue by program, outstanding accounts receivable, monthly expenses, enrollment by category, average revenue per member, customer acquisition cost, and average length of engagement. He also explains how these numbers help owners decide whether to invest in advertising, add staff, expand programs, or adjust pricing. If you own a cheer gym, tumbling program, or youth sports facility, this episode will help you stop guessing, understand your financial reports, and use real data to build a healthier and more profitable business.

In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton breaks down what cheer coaches and gym owners often get wrong when studying the routines that win major end-of-season events. Too many coaches watch a winning routine and immediately focus on the hardest stunt, the biggest tumbling pass, or the most creative transition. Dan explains why copying isolated skills is rarely the answer—and why difficulty alone is not what separates the best routines from everyone else. This episode explores how execution, pacing, routine construction, score sheet strategy, and overall performance quality work together to create a winning package. Dan also explains why coaches need to study the full routine instead of one viral section, why different score sheets reward different choices, and why a video can never fully capture the energy a team creates in the arena. If you are a cheer gym owner, all star coach, choreographer, or program director, this episode will help you analyze winning cheer routines more effectively, make smarter choreography decisions, and build routines that score—not just routines that look difficult online.

In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton tackles one of the biggest challenges facing the cheer industry today: gym owner burnout. After presenting on burnout at the Next Gen Coaches & Owners Conference, Dan shares why more cheer gym owners are feeling overwhelmed than ever before—and why the real cause often isn't long hours. It's the way they're leading their businesses. Dan explains how trying to do everything yourself, refusing to delegate, chasing perfection, and carrying every responsibility alone can quietly lead to exhaustion, frustration, and eventually burnout. He also shares practical strategies to help gym owners build better systems, trust their team, and create a business that doesn't depend on them every minute of the day. In this episode, Dan discusses: Why burnout is becoming more common among gym owners The connection between delegation and long-term success How perfectionism creates unnecessary stress Simple tasks owners should stop doing themselves Why investing time in training others pays off later How better systems create healthier businesses and healthier leaders If you're a cheer gym owner, entrepreneur, or business leader, this episode will help you recognize the warning signs of burnout and build a business that's sustainable for years to come.

In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton challenges one of the most celebrated phrases in all star cheer: hit zero. While hitting zero can be exciting, Dan explains why the industry’s obsession with no-deduction routines may be creating unhealthy pressure for athletes, confusing parents, and shifting the focus away from overall performance, execution, difficulty, and growth. He shares why teams can hit zero and still lose, why teams can have deductions and still win, and why coaches need to educate athletes and families on what the score sheet actually rewards. Dan also dives into the emotional impact of hit-zero culture, including how one mistake can make athletes feel like they ruined the entire routine, even when the rest of the performance was excellent. He explores how the pressure for perfection may contribute to anxiety, fear, and mental blocks in cheer athletes. If you are a cheer gym owner, coach, or program director, this episode will challenge how you talk about success, performance, deductions, and athlete confidence inside your gym.

In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton shares five things he would do if he wanted his staff to absolutely hate their jobs. Drawing from his experience leading teams across Oregon Dream Teams, Dream Camps, and Next Generation Gym Owners, Dan breaks down the leadership mistakes that quietly destroy morale, increase turnover, and drive great coaches away. From never asking for staff input and micromanaging every decision to paying people late and refusing to explain your reasoning, Dan explains why these behaviors create frustration, resentment, and burnout inside cheer gyms. In this episode, you'll learn: Why staff want their opinions to be heard The importance of paying people accurately and on time How micromanagement destroys trust and confidence Why explaining your decisions matters as a leader How helping staff build a life outside the gym improves retention What great gym owners do differently to keep coaches engaged If you're a cheer gym owner, program director, or leader, this episode will help you create a healthier workplace, retain great staff, and build a stronger coaching culture.

In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton shares the three things that consistently separate high-performing cheer gyms from everyone else. While many gym owners spend their time chasing new ideas, new marketing strategies, and new programs, Dan argues that the biggest competitive advantages are often much simpler. The gyms that consistently outperform their competition focus relentlessly on staff development, content creation, and long-term consistency. Dan breaks down: Why training your staff may be the most important investment you can make How quality content helps build trust and attract new families Why consistency matters more than talent or creativity The role systems play in long-term success How successful gym owners stay focused when things get difficult Why most gyms know what to do but fail to execute consistently If you are a cheer gym owner, coach, or entrepreneur, this episode will help you identify the habits, systems, and leadership principles that create long-term success and help your gym stand out in a crowded market.

In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton shares the three things that consistently separate high-performing cheer gyms from everyone else. While many gym owners spend their time chasing new ideas, new marketing strategies, and new programs, Dan argues that the biggest competitive advantages are often much simpler. The gyms that consistently outperform their competition focus relentlessly on staff development, content creation, and long-term consistency. Dan breaks down: Why training your staff may be the most important investment you can make How quality content helps build trust and attract new families Why consistency matters more than talent or creativity The role systems play in long-term success How successful gym owners stay focused when things get difficult Why most gyms know what to do but fail to execute consistently If you are a cheer gym owner, coach, or entrepreneur, this episode will help you identify the habits, systems, and leadership principles that create long-term success and help your gym stand out in a crowded market.

In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton explains why summer camps remain one of the most valuable tools a cheer gym owner can use to grow enrollment, improve athlete development, increase retention, and generate additional revenue. While many gym owners view camps as a seasonal activity, Dan argues that summer camps can have a major impact on the long-term success of a cheer program when they are planned and executed strategically. Dan breaks down: Why summer camps create opportunities to attract new athletes How camps help retain current athletes during slower months The role camps play in athlete development and confidence building Why camps can generate meaningful revenue for cheer gyms How camps help develop future coaches and staff members The biggest mistakes gym owners make when planning summer programs If you are a cheer gym owner, coach, or program director, this episode will help you maximize the value of your summer camps and use them as a tool for growth throughout the year.

In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton sits down with Elizabeth Scumaci, Founder and CEO of GlitterStarz, to discuss what it takes to build a brand that lasts in the cheer industry. What started as a small rhinestone and pro shop business has grown into one of the most recognizable brands in all star cheer. Elizabeth shares the story behind GlitterStarz, the challenges of entrepreneurship, and the lessons she's learned while growing and evolving her company over nearly two decades. Dan and Elizabeth discuss: How GlitterStarz got its start The importance of listening to customers and adapting to their needs Building a recognizable brand in a competitive industry Marketing, social media, and staying relevant as the industry evolves Hiring talented people and creating a strong team Company culture, leadership, and long-term growth Why gratitude and giving back have been important parts of the journey Whether you're a cheer gym owner, entrepreneur, or business leader, this episode is packed with lessons on branding, leadership, innovation, customer service, and building a business that stands the test of time.

In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton breaks down the three things every cheer gym owner must master before they can truly scale their business. Too many gym owners focus on marketing tactics, sales funnels, and growth hacks while ignoring the foundations that actually create sustainable growth. According to Dan, nearly every growth problem can be traced back to one of three areas: systems, accountability, or execution. Drawing from his experience growing Oregon Dream Teams, Dream Camps, and Next Generation Gym Owners, Dan explains why systems create scalability, why accountability drives consistency, and why execution ultimately determines results. In this episode, you'll learn: Why systems are the foundation of growth How accountability impacts staff performance and consistency Why execution matters more than ideas The biggest mistakes gym owners make when trying to scale How to identify what's actually holding your gym back Why growth becomes impossible without delegation and structure If you're a cheer gym owner, program director, or entrepreneur, this episode provides a practical framework for building a business that can grow without depending on you to do everything yourself.

In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton gets honest about one of the most emotionally exhausting parts of owning a cheer gym: tryouts and team placements. After wrapping up placements at Oregon Dream Teams, Dan shares the reality gym owners face when athletes quit after being placed, parents question levels, kids are disappointed, and coaches are left trying to rebuild teams around missing pieces. He talks through the stress of balancing athlete happiness, team success, parent expectations, high school cheer conflicts, and the pressure to educate families who may not fully understand how all star cheer placements work. This episode is a real behind-the-scenes look at the part of cheer gym ownership most families never see. Dan reminds owners that even when the hard conversations feel heavy, there are still dozens of athletes who are excited, grateful, and ready for the season ahead. If you are a cheer gym owner, coach, or program director, this episode will help you feel less alone during tryout season and remind you why the hard parts of placements are still worth it.

In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton asks an important question: Why does the cheer industry keep making the same mistakes over and over again? After more than 25 years in all star cheer, Dan reflects on several trends that continue to cycle through the industry despite years of evidence showing they often create new challenges instead of lasting solutions. From scholarship programs and free cheer initiatives to the growing popularity of destination events, Dan explores why certain ideas continue to resurface and what gym owners, coaches, and industry leaders can learn from the past. This episode is not about criticizing innovation or new ideas. It's about recognizing patterns, learning from experience, and avoiding the tendency to repeat decisions that have already produced unintended consequences. Dan discusses: Why scholarship-based programs often create challenges for gyms and families The ongoing debate around free cheer and athlete incentives The impact of destination events on participation and affordability Why short-term excitement can overshadow long-term sustainability How gym owners can make better decisions by learning from industry history If you're a cheer gym owner, coach, or industry leader, this episode will challenge you to think critically about the trends shaping all star cheer and ask whether we're solving problems—or simply repeating them.

In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton shares one of the biggest coaching mistakes he has seen over 23 years in the cheer industry: putting athletes in a box. Too often, coaches label athletes as lazy, untalented, weak, difficult, unmotivated, or incapable of reaching the next level. The problem is that those labels create bias, influence coaching decisions, and can prevent athletes from reaching their true potential. Dan breaks down the common boxes coaches put athletes into, why these labels are often inaccurate, and how some of the most successful athletes he has ever coached were once the athletes nobody believed in. He explains why athletes develop at different rates, why confidence and opportunity matter so much, and how coaches can avoid limiting athletes with their own expectations. This episode is a powerful reminder for cheer coaches, gym owners, and program directors that athlete development is rarely linear. The athletes who struggle today may become the leaders, world champions, and program-changing athletes of tomorrow. If you want to become a better coach, develop more athletes, and create a culture where potential is nurtured instead of limited, this episode is for you.

In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton gets fired up about three things cheer gym owners need to stop doing immediately if they want to protect their business, their brand, and their long-term profitability. Dan breaks down why gym owners need to stop relying on untrained AI to create generic graphics and business advice, why overpaying coaches can quietly destroy profit margins, and why predatory financing can put gyms into dangerous financial positions. This episode is direct, practical, and packed with tough love for owners who care deeply about their gyms but may be making decisions that hurt the business. You’ll learn how to use AI strategically without losing your brand identity, how to evaluate coach pay against actual revenue, and what to do instead of taking high-risk loans or bad financing deals when money gets tight. If you are a cheer gym owner, director, or entrepreneur, this episode is a must-listen before you make another marketing, payroll, or financial decision.

In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton breaks down the three criteria every cheer gym owner should evaluate before hiring a new coach or staff member. As your gym grows, you eventually reach the point where you cannot coach every team, teach every class, and manage every athlete yourself. That means hiring becomes one of the most important skills you need to master as a gym owner. But the wrong hire can create drama, hurt your culture, frustrate parents, and cost your business time, money, and trust. Dan shares what he has learned from years of hiring both great staff members and difficult ones. He explains why skill alone is not enough, why coachability matters more than ego, why communication skills should be tested during the interview process, and why every owner needs to understand a coach’s true motivation before bringing them onto the team. If you are a cheer gym owner, program director, or coach preparing to hire for summer, tryout season, or next season, this episode will help you build a stronger hiring process, avoid bad hires, and create a staff that actually aligns with your gym’s values.

In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton breaks down why personal branding matters for cheer gym owners and why growing your gym’s logo is no longer enough. Dan explains how building a personal brand helps families feel connected to you, understand your values, and trust your leadership before they ever walk through your doors. He shares why social media gives gym owners a powerful way to build relationships without crossing professional boundaries, how your personal content can attract the right clients, and why showing more of who you are can help your cheer gym grow. This episode also covers what to post, what to avoid, how often to show up, and why personal branding is becoming one of the most valuable marketing tools for cheer gym owners in 2026. If you are a cheer gym owner, coach, or program director, this episode will help you understand how to use your voice, values, story, and social media presence to build trust, increase visibility, and strengthen your gym’s brand.

In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton sits down with Danielle Johnston from The Fullout Cheer Podcast to talk about one of the biggest hidden risks in cheer gym ownership: what happens when one key coach, director, office manager, or tumbling instructor becomes too essential to the business. Dan and Danielle break down the real issue of key person risk in cheer gyms, why families sometimes follow a coach when they leave, and how owners can protect their programs by building stronger systems, developing multiple staff members, and making sure the gym’s identity is bigger than one person. They also dive into staff burnout, career paths, compensation, annual evaluations, time off, and why owners need to remember that even in a “family” culture, staff members still have jobs, goals, and lives outside the gym. If you are a cheer gym owner, program director, or coach, this episode will help you build a stronger staff structure, retain great coaches, prevent burnout, and protect your gym from being dependent on one person.

The 2026–2027 all star cheer season is almost here, and Dan Cotton is sharing his biggest predictions for what coaches and gym owners should expect. In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan breaks down the trends he believes will shape routine construction, scoring strategy, stunt sections, tumbling, pyramids, jumps, and overall performance this season. He talks about why teams may start building extra stunt groups, why synchronized group tumbling could become more important, how clean pacing may outscore rushed difficulty, why pyramids could become a major deciding factor, and why jump execution cannot be ignored. If you are an all star cheer coach, choreographer, program director, or cheer gym owner planning routines for the 2026–2027 season, this episode will help you think more strategically before choreography, camps, and competition season begin.

Travel season can make it feel impossible to stay on top of your work, your team, your inbox, and your business. In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton shares his best productivity hacks for cheer gym owners, all star coaches, choreographers, and business owners who are constantly on the road for competitions, camps, choreography, Worlds, Summit, and summer travel. Dan breaks down how he stays productive while traveling, including how to schedule work blocks, protect your calendar, build in buffer time, communicate availability, use travel-friendly tech tools, and set realistic priorities so you can keep your business moving without burning yourself out. If you are heading into a busy travel season and need a better way to manage work, emails, meetings, staff communication, and business responsibilities while away from home, this episode will help you create a practical plan that actually works.

In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton shares his honest thoughts after attending D1 Summit for the first time as a coach after 10 years of competing at D2 Summit. Coming off a 2025 D2 Summit win in Senior Medium 4, Dan breaks down what it was like to move into the D1 world, what surprised him most, and how the experience compared to D2 Summit. He talks about the difference in team depth, the huge range in competitive ability, how brand-name gyms and franchise locations performed, and why the location within a brand often mattered just as much as the name on the uniform. Dan also shares lessons from his own teams’ performances, including missing finals because of a stunt fall, watching one team jump from wildcard to sixth place, and seeing firsthand how small execution details can separate first from fifth at D1 Summit. This episode is packed with insight for cheer gym owners, all star coaches, and program directors who want to understand the difference between D1 and D2 Summit, prepare their teams for higher-level competition, and think differently about execution, culture, cost, and end-of-season strategy.

In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton breaks down a problem that hits cheer gyms every year: the post-tryout and summer dip in class enrollment. Right before tryouts, classes, privates, and skill work are booming. Athletes are trying to get ready, parents are motivated, and gyms feel busy. But once tryouts are over, many families pause, drop classes, or disappear for the summer — creating a revenue dip that can catch gym owners off guard. Dan shares practical strategies to help cheer gym owners protect enrollment, retain class athletes, and build revenue through the summer months. He explains why you should keep building interest lists even when classes are full, how to use summer camps and skill clinics strategically, why athletes need post-tryout goals, and how flexible summer attendance policies can keep families enrolled longer. If you are a cheer gym owner, program director, or coach, this episode will help you plan ahead, reduce cancellations, keep classes full, and avoid getting blindsided by the summer slowdown.

In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton reflects on the biggest lessons he learned during the 2025–2026 cheer season after nearly 25 years of coaching and 15 years of gym ownership. From launching a new branch of the business that did not go as planned, to giving staff faster and more direct feedback, to navigating the growing impact of AI, Dan shares honest lessons that every cheer gym owner and coach can learn from. He also dives into one of the biggest issues facing the cheer industry right now: the scoring crisis. With major score swings, inconsistent judging, and unclear feedback frustrating coaches and families, Dan explains why this matters and how it could impact the future of all star cheer. This episode is a must-listen for cheer gym owners, coaches, and program directors who want to grow as leaders, learn from mistakes, improve staff systems, and stay committed to building a stronger business and stronger teams.

In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton shares the biggest red flags he has seen after 25 years of coaching cheerleading. From coaches blaming choreography or saying no athletes are ready to level up, to athletes cutting corners, parents talking negatively about other kids, and gym owners refusing to learn business, Dan breaks down the behaviors that quietly hurt teams, culture, and long-term success. This episode is part tough love, part leadership lesson, and part reality check for the entire cheer community. Dan explains why these warning signs matter, what they usually reveal underneath the surface, and how coaches, parents, athletes, and owners can use them as a chance to grow instead of getting defensive. If you are a cheer gym owner, coach, athlete, or parent, this episode will help you identify the patterns that create drama, limit progress, damage culture, and keep programs from reaching their potential.