In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, host Dan Cotton pulls back the curtain on the real-life behaviors that drive gym owners and managers absolutely crazy—and what great employees do instead. As the owner of three companies with over 75 employees and a consultant to more than 150 gyms, Dan has seen the same patterns over and over again.

AI is powerful—but it can also make you look unprofessional, confuse your customers, and cost you real money if you use it wrong. In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, host Dan Cotton breaks down the five biggest AI blunders he sees cheer gym owners making right now—and how to avoid them.

Can your gym feel like family without turning messy? In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton shares how to build a genuine family atmosphere with standards, consequences, and clarity—so you’re loved and respected. He walks through the early years of blurring lines with friends-turned-staff, the painful lessons (including a real embezzlement case and what it cost), and the systems that now keep his teams connected, accountable, and drama-free. You’ll learn how to set role expectations, hold compassionate but firm conversations, and avoid the entitlement that burns owners out. If you’re a cheer gym owner, director, or coach, this is your blueprint for a healthy, high-trust culture that actually performs.

We’re closing out 2025 with a hard look at the habits that quietly stall growth—and how to fix them before 2026. In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton lays out the five biggest blockers holding cheer gym owners back (plus a bonus): weak websites and marketing, inconsistent social media, lack of patience and consistency, focusing on the wrong things, not protecting your time and health, and misusing AI. Expect clear examples, tough love, and a step-by-step plan you can put to work today.

In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton sits down with Ashley Newberry, gym director at Dream Extreme All-Stars in Vacaville, CA—Miss California, children’s book author, and culture-builder behind one of NorCal’s fastest-growing programs. Ashley shares how a single private lesson snowballed into camps, classes, and a full program; how her team moved from a shared gymnastics space into a cheer-focused facility; and why putting safety, belonging, and communication first created explosive, sustainable growth.

In this candid episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton tackles a hard truth: the gym down the street isn’t your enemy. Most programs are serving 1–2.5% of local youth, which means the real opportunity isn’t poaching athletes—it’s growing awareness of all-star cheer, tumbling, and youth programs so more families enter the sport in the first place. You’ll hear why your true competition is often soccer, volleyball, and other full-time sports, not fellow cheer owners, and how collaborative marketing can lift every program in your area.

In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, host Dan Cotton breaks down everything gym owners and coaches need to know about the Limited Division at USASF Worlds—where it came from, who it’s meant for, and why it’s become one of the sport’s most misunderstood divisions.

Competition season is here—don’t just survive it, thrive. In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton shares 10 battle-tested tips to make comp days smoother, calmer, and more successful for cheer gym owners and coaches. You’ll learn how to delegate non-coaching tasks, systemize your pre-comp and day-of communications, book cleanup/choreo help early, fuel yourself with a real comp-day meal plan, script routines to read the score sheet like a pro, and assign social media coverage so every team gets seen.

Scammers love busy business owners—and cheer gyms are prime targets. In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton shares real stories and practical steps to protect your money, accounts, and reputation from the most common attacks hitting gym owners right now. You’ll hear how a convincing “change of bank details” email stole a rent payment, what red flags to look for in phishing messages and spoofed websites, and why too-good-to-be-true equipment “deals” are almost always traps.

In this powerful episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, host Dan Cotton tackles one of the most important conversations happening in the cheer industry right now—mental health, athlete well-being, and how we can do better as coaches and gym owners.