The Cheer Biz Podcast

Hosted by Next Generation Gym Owners

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Episodes

416

Latest episode

Jun 2026

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About the show

Calling all Cheerleading and Gymnastics Gym owners. Next Generation consulting specializes in connecting people and profits. As a group of entrepreneurs who started businesses in the Recreational and All Star Cheerleading and tumbling world, Next Gen‘s owners have dedicated themselves to inspiring, leading, and coaching other business owners to grow and thrive in their businesses. This podcast will dive into all aspects of owning a business. Highlighting and interviewing not only experts in the fields of marketing, social media, and all things business, but also interview some of our clients who have shown initiative, innovation and growth! Apply To be on the podcast https://nextgenowners.com/podcast/

Listen to episodes

60 recent

June 16, 2026Episode 42216 min

Why Your Cheer Gym Isn't Growing

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: systems, accountability, or execution. Drawing from his experience growing Oregon Dream Teams, Dream Camps, and Next Generation Gym Owners, Dan explains why systems create scalability, why accountability drives consistency, and why execution ultimately determines results. In this episode, you'll learn: Why systems are the foundation of growth How accountability impacts staff performance and consistency Why execution matters more than ideas The biggest mistakes gym owners make when trying to scale How to identify what's actually holding your gym back Why growth becomes impossible without delegation and structure If you're a cheer gym owner, program director, or entrepreneur, this episode provides a practical framework for building a business that can grow without depending on you to do everything yourself.

June 13, 2026Episode 42122 min

Surviving Team Placement Season

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 missing pieces. He talks through the stress of balancing athlete happiness, team success, parent expectations, high school cheer conflicts, and the pressure to educate families who may not fully understand how all star cheer placements work. This episode is a real behind-the-scenes look at the part of cheer gym ownership most families never see. Dan reminds owners that even when the hard conversations feel heavy, there are still dozens of athletes who are excited, grateful, and ready for the season ahead. If you are a cheer gym owner, coach, or program director, this episode will help you feel less alone during tryout season and remind you why the hard parts of placements are still worth it.

June 9, 2026Episode 42019 min

Why We Keep Making the Same Mistakes

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 programs and free cheer initiatives to the growing popularity of destination events, Dan explores why certain ideas continue to resurface and what gym owners, coaches, and industry leaders can learn from the past. This episode is not about criticizing innovation or new ideas. It's about recognizing patterns, learning from experience, and avoiding the tendency to repeat decisions that have already produced unintended consequences. Dan discusses: Why scholarship-based programs often create challenges for gyms and families The ongoing debate around free cheer and athlete incentives The impact of destination events on participation and affordability Why short-term excitement can overshadow long-term sustainability How gym owners can make better decisions by learning from industry history If you're a cheer gym owner, coach, or industry leader, this episode will challenge you to think critically about the trends shaping all star cheer and ask whether we're solving problems—or simply repeating them.

June 6, 2026Episode 41916 min

The Dangerous Assumption Coaches Make

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 from reaching their true potential. Dan breaks down the common boxes coaches put athletes into, why these labels are often inaccurate, and how some of the most successful athletes he has ever coached were once the athletes nobody believed in. He explains why athletes develop at different rates, why confidence and opportunity matter so much, and how coaches can avoid limiting athletes with their own expectations. This episode is a powerful reminder for cheer coaches, gym owners, and program directors that athlete development is rarely linear. The athletes who struggle today may become the leaders, world champions, and program-changing athletes of tomorrow. If you want to become a better coach, develop more athletes, and create a culture where potential is nurtured instead of limited, this episode is for you.

June 2, 2026Episode 41828 min

3 Things Gym Owners Must Stop Doing

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 why predatory financing can put gyms into dangerous financial positions. This episode is direct, practical, and packed with tough love for owners who care deeply about their gyms but may be making decisions that hurt the business. You’ll learn how to use AI strategically without losing your brand identity, how to evaluate coach pay against actual revenue, and what to do instead of taking high-risk loans or bad financing deals when money gets tight. If you are a cheer gym owner, director, or entrepreneur, this episode is a must-listen before you make another marketing, payroll, or financial decision.

May 30, 2026Episode 41713 min

Stop Hiring the Wrong Coaches

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. But the wrong hire can create drama, hurt your culture, frustrate parents, and cost your business time, money, and trust. Dan shares what he has learned from years of hiring both great staff members and difficult ones. He explains why skill alone is not enough, why coachability matters more than ego, why communication skills should be tested during the interview process, and why every owner needs to understand a coach’s true motivation before bringing them onto the team. If you are a cheer gym owner, program director, or coach preparing to hire for summer, tryout season, or next season, this episode will help you build a stronger hiring process, avoid bad hires, and create a staff that actually aligns with your gym’s values.

May 26, 2026Episode 41615 min

Why Cheer Gym Owners Need a Personal Brand

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 to build relationships without crossing professional boundaries, how your personal content can attract the right clients, and why showing more of who you are can help your cheer gym grow. This episode also covers what to post, what to avoid, how often to show up, and why personal branding is becoming one of the most valuable marketing tools for cheer gym owners in 2026. If you are a cheer gym owner, coach, or program director, this episode will help you understand how to use your voice, values, story, and social media presence to build trust, increase visibility, and strengthen your gym’s brand.

May 23, 2026Episode 41543 min

Don’t Build Your Gym Around One Person

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 sometimes follow a coach when they leave, and how owners can protect their programs by building stronger systems, developing multiple staff members, and making sure the gym’s identity is bigger than one person. They also dive into staff burnout, career paths, compensation, annual evaluations, time off, and why owners need to remember that even in a “family” culture, staff members still have jobs, goals, and lives outside the gym. If you are a cheer gym owner, program director, or coach, this episode will help you build a stronger staff structure, retain great coaches, prevent burnout, and protect your gym from being dependent on one person.

May 19, 2026Episode 41417 min

The Next Shift in All Star Cheer

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 building extra stunt groups, why synchronized group tumbling could become more important, how clean pacing may outscore rushed difficulty, why pyramids could become a major deciding factor, and why jump execution cannot be ignored. If you are an all star cheer coach, choreographer, program director, or cheer gym owner planning routines for the 2026–2027 season, this episode will help you think more strategically before choreography, camps, and competition season begin.

May 16, 2026Episode 41315 min

Work Smarter While Traveling

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 how he stays productive while traveling, including how to schedule work blocks, protect your calendar, build in buffer time, communicate availability, use travel-friendly tech tools, and set realistic priorities so you can keep your business moving without burning yourself out. If you are heading into a busy travel season and need a better way to manage work, emails, meetings, staff communication, and business responsibilities while away from home, this episode will help you create a practical plan that actually works.