Every cheer gym owner gets hit with opinions. The problem is, most of those opinions come from people who don’t understand your business—and taking their advice can cost you money, create chaos, and slow your growth. In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton breaks down exactly who you should be careful listening to when making decisions about your cheer gym, pricing, marketing, culture, and leadership. Dan explains why well-meaning biological parents tend to push safe, conservative choices, why staff input can accidentally create slow decision-making and entitlement, and why one loud unhappy customer can pull you into knee-jerk decisions that upset your happy majority. He also calls out the internet at large, ChatGPT as a “business coach,” and business gurus who aren’t actively running cheer gyms—plus the real-world consequences of taking generic advice that doesn’t fit the cheer industry. If you’re a cheer gym owner, director, or coach, this episode will help you build a smarter “advice filter,” choose the right mentors, and make confident decisions based on proven experience—not noise.

If you want to be a stronger leader in your cheer gym in 2026, you need better questions—not more hustle. In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton shares seven questions every leader should ask themselves to level up leadership, strengthen staff performance, and build a team that can operate without constant supervision. Dan breaks down how to evaluate whether you’re actually growing as a leader, whether your team is rising with you or falling behind, and whether you’ve provided the tools, systems, and clarity your staff needs to succeed. He also explains the difference between developing leaders versus managing doers, how to delegate at the level your business requires, and how to identify whether your team is getting better because of your leadership—or in spite of it. This episode is a must-listen for cheer gym owners, program directors, head coaches, and managers who want better staff accountability, smoother operations, and a culture where people take ownership. You’ll walk away with a simple leadership framework you can revisit annually to improve your communication, delegation, systems, and team development.

If you own a cheer gym in a rural area or you’re the first program in your community, your biggest challenge is simple: education. Parents can’t buy what they don’t understand. In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton shares how to educate a small-town market about all star cheerleading, build awareness fast, and position your gym as the go-to destination for youth sports training. Dan breaks down three practical strategies that work especially well in rural communities: show up at every public performance opportunity (and capture leads while you’re there), use social media to show what you do beyond flyers, and host community events at your facility that double as lead-generation machines. He also explains why your follow-up system matters more than your ad budget—and why paid ads are wasted if you don’t have automation, waivers, and email/SMS follow-up in place. If you’re building a cheer gym in a small town, trying to grow enrollment, or launching a program where cheer isn’t mainstream yet, this episode gives you a clear plan to create demand, capture leads, and corner your market.