The Cheer Biz Podcast

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 expl...

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...

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 in...

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 relentless...

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 relentless...

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 w...

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 entrepreneu...

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:...

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 mi...

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 program...

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...

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...

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. Bu...

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...

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 so...

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 buil...

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 ho...

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 d...

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 — cr...

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 g...

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 l...

In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton sits down with Stephenie Staley, owner of Dynasty Athletics in Draper, Utah, to talk about building a cheer gym rooted in family, culture, honesty, and long-term athlete development. Stephenie shares her journey from helping run one of Utah’s early all star programs to opening Dynasty Athletics in 2016. She explains how her homegrown coaching st...

In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton breaks down one of the biggest reasons cheer gym owners stay stuck financially: they do not actually understand their numbers. More specifically, they do not understand the difference between gross margin, pricing, and real profit. Dan explains why so many gym owners think they are making money when they are really just covering the cost of deli...

In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton sits down with Rocky Rumel to talk about one of the biggest gaps in the cheer industry: how we train athletes beyond just reps, routines, and skill progressions. With an interdisciplinary background in exercise physiology, sports psychology, nutrition, business, and performance coaching, Rocky brings a unique perspective to all star cheer. He ex...

In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton breaks down a problem that quietly hurts a lot of cheer gym owners: listening to the wrong people. From anonymous moms in Facebook groups, to random opinions online, to well-meaning friends and family, to AI tools like ChatGPT, Dan explains why too many owners are letting outside voices shape major business decisions — even when those voices hav...