The Cheer Biz Podcast

In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton sits down with Cat Haley of the Cat Haley Method to talk about one of the most misunderstood parts of athlete development in all star cheer: flexibility, strength, and safe body training. Cat shares her story from a small-town athlete in Maine to a World Champion with Stingrays Orange, and how multiple ACL injuries, years of coaching, and the un...

In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton sits down with Alli Doiron and Jordan Arsenault, the co-owners of 506 Elite, to talk about what it really looks like to build a cheer gym from the ground up. From joking about opening a gym together to actually creating one of their own in New Brunswick, this conversation dives into the real story behind their journey. Alli and Jordan share how...

What should cheer gyms be posting on social media in 2026? In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton sits down with Sara Walsh to talk about cheer gym marketing, social media strategy, content creation, branding, and how gym owners can use modern marketing to grow their programs online. Sara shares her perspective as a longtime cheer industry professional, marketing expert, former coach...

What makes a coach toxic, and why do toxic coaches exist in all star cheer? In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton breaks down one of the most important leadership conversations in the cheerleading industry: toxic coaching. He explains what toxic coach behavior actually looks like, how it differs from strong or demanding coaching, and why some coaches in youth sports and all star che...

What should you actually pay your coaches, and how do you know if that number makes sense for your gym? In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton breaks down coach pay in the cheer industry and explains how gym owners should think about compensation, payroll, profitability, retention, and employee value. He talks through why there is no one-size-fits-all answer, how minimum wage and cos...

Varsity’s new Small Gym Summit announcement has the all star cheer world talking, and in this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton breaks down what gym owners and coaches need to understand. Dan shares his perspective on why Varsity likely created the Small Gym Summit, why large brands and franchise locations are still eligible, and what he believes will happen as the event evolves over th...

Thinking about selling your cheer gym someday? Or buying one instead of starting from scratch? In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton sits down with Matt Becker from Gym Lawyers to talk about gym valuation, buying and selling a cheer gym, legal strategy, profitability, seller financing, and what actually makes a gym sellable. Matt breaks down how gym owners can determine what their b...

What makes a great youth coach stand out from everyone else? In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton breaks down five essential traits the best youth coaches demonstrate every single day. From reteaching skills without frustration to building real relationships with athletes, adapting coaching methods, creating stronger team culture, and balancing accountability with fun, this episode...

“All-star cheer doesn’t make money.” Gym owners hear it constantly—especially when they’re starting a gym. And in this episode, Dan Cotton calls it what it is: a bold-faced lie. Dan breaks down why people believe all-star isn’t profitable, why class programs do matter (higher margins, lower barrier to entry, easier enrollment), and the real reason many gyms lose money on all-star: pricing and budg...

Most cheer gym owners don’t have a knowledge problem—they have an execution problem. In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton breaks down the “execution gap” that keeps gyms from growing, even when owners are listening to podcasts, reading books, and learning constantly. Dan shares the areas where cheer gyms most commonly fail to execute consistently, including your Google Business Pro...

If you’ve ever wondered whether your gym director has too much power—or not enough—this episode will give you a clear framework. In this Cheer Biz Podcast episode, Dan Cotton breaks down what managers and directors in a cheer gym should actually be responsible for, and where the hard boundaries must be. He explains why true directors should have authority over hiring, training, retraining, retenti...

Cheer judging feels like a black box—until now. In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton sits down with international cheerleading judge and educator Judge Mimi. They unpack what judges are actually looking for, why many coaches misunderstand the score sheet, and what judges wish they could say out loud—but can’t put in writing. You’ll learn why “judging is inconsistent” is often a sym...

If you’re a newer cheer coach (or you lead a staff full of them), this episode is a must-listen. Dan Cotton breaks down the five most common mistakes young coaches make—and what to do differently so athletes improve faster, teams stay healthier, and your culture gets stronger. You’ll hear why young coaches take performance personally, how mislabeling athletes as “defiant” can wreck confidence, and...

Why are tryout signups slow—even when you “posted the link”? In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton breaks down the most common reasons all-star cheer registration stalls and what to fix right now so you can increase registrations before tryouts. You’ll learn how to improve your cheer gym marketing so families actually know who you are, how to simplify your registration process so it...

Most cheer gyms don’t realize private lessons can create massive legal, insurance, and tax exposure—fast. In this episode, Dan Cotton sits down with Matthew Becker of GymLawyers.com to break down what’s really at stake when coaches take private lesson payments directly (cash, Venmo, check) and run sessions “on the side” inside your facility. They explain why this common industry practice can blur...

Most cheer gym owners don’t have a pricing problem. They have a pricing system problem. In this technical episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton walks through how to set all star cheer tuition the right way so every team you run is financially viable and profitable. He breaks down the biggest mistakes gym owners make during tryout season, including mixing tuition with pass-through fees, sett...

It’s February. Registration isn’t even open yet… and suddenly everyone is “not coming back next season.” You’re hearing it in the parent room. You’re hearing it from athletes. You’re hearing secondhand rumors about who’s quitting and why. And even if you try not to listen, it’s hard not to start spiraling: Who is actually staying? What will teams look like next year? What if we lose half the gym?...

Most cheer gym owners think “branding” means a new logo, better colors, or updated lettering. But in this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotten breaks down the real question: should you rebrand — or should you fix what’s actually hurting enrollment? Dan explains why customers care far less about your logo than you do, why changing your name rarely solves growth problems, and what brand actu...

Can being a part-time cheer coach actually make you a millionaire? Dan Cotten says yes — and he lays out the mindset and the math. In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan shares practical financial awareness for cheer coaches and cheer gym owners, including how to build valuable career skills inside a cheer gym, why coaches are better at sales than they think, and how communication becomes a...

It’s February — which means All-Star packets are getting built and released. And if yours is still not out (or it’s 25 pages long), you’re probably making this harder than it needs to be. In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotten breaks down exactly how he builds his All-Star packet and why your packet should be a sales tool first, an informational tool second, and not a “catch-all” han...

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...

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...

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...

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 pa...

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 mistake...