The Cheer Biz Podcast

In this tongue-in-cheek rant episode of The Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan unleashes a hilarious (but honest) look at the most common — and most maddening — things parents say to cheer coaches and gym owners. From “Can we just take the year off to tumble?” to “She’s a flyer, but she doesn’t need to stretch,” Dan breaks down why these phrases drive coaches up the wall and how to handle them with grace and...

In this listener-driven episode of The Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan answers real questions from cheer gym owners and coaches across the country. From boosting next season’s athlete registration numbers to navigating the tricky waters of athletes cross-training at other gyms, and finally, how to evaluate those flashy cheerlebrity camps—Dan brings honest, practical advice rooted in experience. If you’re l...

In this episode of The Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan breaks down the real-world strategy behind testing your gym's pricing — and when you shouldn’t touch those numbers. Whether you’re adjusting class rates, refining All-Star tuition, or trying to build value into your offerings, Dan walks you through how to do the math, when to test with new clients vs. existing ones, and why blindly raising prices could...

In this episode of The Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan welcomes back one of the industry’s most impactful voices—Adam Forte of Forte Spirit Solutions. Known for his high-performance staff training and athlete development systems, Adam shares what he’s learned from working with gyms across the U.S. and Canada.   They dive deep into how to build better coaches, why staff training needs to be intentional and...

In this episode of The Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan dives into a hot topic in the All-Star world: should gym owners allow athletes from other gyms to train in their facility? From tumbling classes to private lessons, Dan shares his personal experience, evolving mindset, and business-driven reasons behind his open-door policy—even for athletes from local competitors. He covers the benefits of cross-gym t...

Founders of the cheersync app John and Nelson join us to tell us about all the ways that the Cheersync app can improve your program tryouts.  Cheersync provides some amazing tools for gym owners to make your tryouts even smoother.  Join us to learn all about what cheersync has to offer.  

In this episode of The Cheer Biz Podcast, host Dan Cotton sits down with Matt Becker of Gym Lawyers PLLC to discuss critical strategies for gym owners to protect their assets and build long-term wealth. From creating legal shields through LLCs and operating agreements to diversifying investments and understanding personal guarantees, Matt covers everything you need to know about securing your busi...

In this exciting episode of The Cheer Biz Podcast, host Dan Cotton sits down with Heidi Weber from the Open Championship to discuss a groundbreaking announcement—cheerleading is officially joining the AAU Junior Olympics! Heidi shares how this new opportunity will not only provide an unforgettable experience for athletes but also offer gym owners a strategic way to generate summer revenue with min...

Buckle up, because this episode of The Cheer Biz Podcast is all about hot takes! Host Dan Cotton dives into some controversial opinions on cheerleading, gym ownership, coaching strategies, and industry norms. From why non-tumbling teams shouldn't get paid bids to why we need to stop obsessing over "hitting zero," Dan lays it all out with no filter. He also shares his thoughts on the best cheer bus...

In this episode of The Cheer Biz Podcast, host Dan Cotton shares his insights on the lessons learned from the 2025 NCA Nationals incident and what gym owners, event producers, and the cheer industry as a whole can do to improve safety and emergency preparedness. Drawing from his background as a military officer, law enforcement professional, and active threat response trainer, Dan breaks down key...

In this episode of The Cheer Biz Podcast, host Dan Cotton provides an in-depth reaction to the incident at NCA Nationals 2025 in Dallas. With a background in military service, law enforcement, and active threat response training, Dan analyzes the confusion surrounding the event, why there were conflicting reports, and whether the available evidence supports claims of gunfire.  Disclaimer: This epi...

Navigating Trauma & Moving Forward: Lessons from NCA 2025 with Jeff Benson Description - This special impromptu episode of The Cheer Biz Podcast dives into the emotional aftermath of NCA Nationals 2025. Dan Cotton is joined by mental resilience expert Jeff Benson to discuss how gym owners, coaches, athletes, and parents can process, heal, and move forward after the traumatic events that unfold...

Are you really charging what you need to keep your gym successful? In this fiery episode of The Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton breaks down why bad math can ruin your gym’s finances—and how to make sure your pricing is actually setting you up for success. Dan tackles:  Why working backward on pricing is a huge mistake  The hidden expenses gym owners forget to factor in (and how they cost you thousan...

What happens when a major competition cancels an entire day of performances? In this episode of The Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton reacts to COA’s decision to cancel Day 1 due to a server and internet failure—a move that sent shockwaves through the cheer community.   Dan breaks down:  The fallout from the cancellation and how gym owners, coaches, and parents reacted  Why COA made the decision and w...

Tryout season is one of the most crucial times of the year for a cheer gym, and how you run your evaluations can make or break your season. In this episode of The Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton breaks down how and why he structures team placements the way he does at Oregon Dream Teams.   Listen in as Dan shares:  Why he prefers evaluations over traditional tryouts  How using a tiered registration s...

Every gym owner and coach will face it at some point—a team that just isn’t performing the way they should. But what do you do when your athletes are struggling? In this episode of The Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton breaks down the real reasons teams struggle and how to identify whether the issue is culture, conditioning, skills, or coaching.   Drawing from 23 years of coaching experience, Dan shar...

Are you making these mistakes that are keeping your gym from financial success? In this episode of The Cheer Biz Podcast, host Dan Cotton dives into the 10 biggest ways gym owners sabotage their own success—and how to fix them.  Are you guilty of these business killers?  Waiting until "tomorrow" to take action  Reading books but never implementing  Taking advice from the wrong people  Letting your...

Your All-Star Packet isn't just an informational document—it’s your biggest sales tool! In this episode of The Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton breaks down how to make the most out of your All-Star packet release for the 2025-2026 season. He shares why your packet should focus on selling your program rather than overwhelming parents with unnecessary rules, the importance of email and phone number col...

Matt Becker joins us to break down the new click to cancel legal rule going into effect in a few months.  This is GREAT information for all cheer gyms and also will effectively end cancelation notices.

We all know I am passionate about pricing.  In this episode I will break down the two reasons EVERY SINGLE all-star program needs to focus on their pricing heading into the next season.  (Spoiler you should do this every season) 

We are a month into the new year.  These are my thoughts and areas of focus heading into the rest of 2025.  Join me as we discuss competitions, handling losses, and building your all star packet.  

Recreational class enrollment is a HUGE focus for my program right now.  In this episode we will dive into the 4 strategies I am using to increase my recreational class enrollment and crush my 2025 goals in the first 3 months.

Failure sucks... A lot but it has many positive aspects that are often neglected.  In this episode we will dive into my personal approach to failure and why I even go so far as to seek it out.  

I learned long ago that investing in my skills as a business owner was one of the best investments I could make.  In this episode we dive into why I spend over 10,000 a year to get business coaching and how it has helped me change my life.

I am nursing a cheer hangover after another long cheer weekend.  LIsten in to learn why I continue to have teams compete the weekend after returning from break as well as one of the craziest things to happen to me at a cheerleading competition.