Any business owner will tell you that their passion was the starting point, and their hard work and dedication are what made their dreams come true. Opening a cheer gym is no different. Beyond a desire to bring the sport to a community of eager athletes, you need a clear plan for how you’ll start and run your business.
In this guide, we’ll review the basics of opening a cheer gym, answer common questions, and construct a step-by-step approach:
The cost of starting a cheer gym depends on several factors. Some of the largest expenses associated with opening a cheer gym include:
Your facility, with the cost depending heavily on size and location
Equipment, especially the spring floor
Staff wages for coaches and administrative staff
Insurance and permits
There are also several hidden costs you might forget to budget for, such as:
Music licensing. It’s common for cheer gyms to hire someone to create custom song mixes for their routines, which might require copyright licensing.
Competition assessments. While cheer parents will pay for uniforms and competition entry fees, you may have to make deposits to competition producers or apparel companies upfront before receiving the funds from parents.
Acoustic zoning. Cheer music is loud. You might need to spend significant funds on acoustic dampening to stay compliant with your lease’s noise ordinances.
That said, you may want to consider different financing options to start your cheer gym off strong. Potential financing avenues for your gym may include:
Loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), such as an SBA 7(a) loan or an SBA 504 loan
Traditional bank loans
Investor partnerships
You’ll need enough space for a 54 x 42-foot Baltic Birch spring floor, which is the most essential piece of equipment for a cheer gym. You may be able to get away with a smaller facility at first, around 2,500-4,000 square feet, but full-scale competitive gyms should ideally have at least 10,000-15,000 square feet of space.
When you’re looking for space for your cheer gym, you should also look for a clear-span building with high ceilings and no poles. That way, athletes can freely stunt and tumble without the facility itself constraining their movement or causing safety issues.
Yes, many first-time cheer gym owners start by subleasing floor time from a gymnastics facility, martial arts dojo, or a local high school during off-hours. This approach allows you to build a roster of athletes with little overhead, empowering you to grow your cheer gym at your own pace.
Once you have a solid customer base and enough cash flow, you can sign a commercial lease for your own space. Since it can be difficult to find a suitable space for a cheer gym, bootstrapping can help you get up and running more quickly and give you more time to find a facility that aligns with your needs.
No. In fact, Elite teams are typically the least profitable part of a cheer gym since they require the most expensive choreography, the highest-paid coaches, and large travel budgets.
The most profitable part of a cheer gym will be your highest-volume programs, such as:
Recreational tumbling classes
Half-year prep teams
Level 1-3 teams
Since these programs have lower associated costs and are open for almost anyone to join, they will typically be more profitable than Elite teams. While an Elite team may be a coveted aspect of your cheer gym, the majority of your external marketing should focus on these higher-volume programs.
The United States All Star Federation (USAF) and USA Cheer govern All Star cheerleading and require the following coach certifications:
SafeSport background checks
CPR certification
Additionally, cheer coaches need specific USASF credentialing to coach and spot certain tumbling and stunting levels at sanctioned competitions.
Your cheer gym needs a specialized sports insurance policy that includes:
General liability coverage for spectator injuries and property damage
Participant accident coverage for athlete injuries
Catastrophic coverage for severe athlete injuries
Your premiums will depend on factors like your coach-to-student ratios and the number of high-risk activities offered. Always consult a legal professional before selecting insurance for your business.
Before opening a cheer gym, it can be helpful to hear from someone who’s done it before to gather their advice and decide if this is the right path for you. Find other cheer gym owners—either online or in your local area—and ask them questions about their experience, such as:
How long did it take you to find the right facility for your cheer gym?
Have you ever had to deal with noise complaints, and do you recommend investing in acoustic dampening?
How do you structure your assessments so you don’t have to front a significant amount of money out of pocket?
What is your favorite part about running your gym?
What advice would you give to a new or aspiring cheer gym owner?
What does a typical day look like for you as a cheer gym owner?
What are your most profitable programs?
If you could go back in time and start your gym over again, what would you do differently?
In addition to seeking out mentors in the cheer gym industry, you might also consider hiring an All Star cheer consultant. This relatively new service helps aspiring cheer gym owners make their dreams a reality, transferring essential knowledge about what it takes to run an All Star gym and how to get started.
To organize your thoughts about how you want to run your cheer gym, create a business plan. This document will guide you through the process of opening your business and should include the following elements:
An executive summary introduces and summarizes the rest of your business plan. In the executive summary, you should:
Emphasize your cheer gym’s mission.
Explain your motivation for opening a cheer gym.
Detail what you want your gym to look like in the future.
Consider writing this section after you’ve already completed the other sections to ensure this summary aligns with the rest of your business plan.
The company description should be a high-level overview of your business with the following elements:
Who you are and why you want to start a cheer gym
Your gym’s business classification, such as a partnership or corporation
Your products and/or services
Your intended audience
How many employees you’ll hire
How you’ll differentiate your business from other cheer gyms
Determine what exactly your cheer gym will offer. This section should answer questions like:
Will we focus more on recreational and preschool classes or a competitive team?
Will we offer prep classes to bridge the gap between recreational and competitive offerings?
What age range will we cater to?
Will we sell merchandise like bows and practice wear?
In addition to narrowing down your offerings, the answers to these questions will also help you determine other gym details. For example, if you’re prioritizing recreational classes, your floor plan might include different activity stations and a larger parent viewing area. On the other hand, if you’re looking to focus on an All Star team, your floor plan should revolve around your 54 x 42-foot Baltic Birch spring floor and a power track.
Show that you understand the current state of the cheerleading industry. Your market analysis should demonstrate your knowledge with details like:
Customer demographics
The past and projected future of the cheerleading market
Needs in the market
Competitor descriptions
Emphasize how your cheer gym will stand out from local competitors to clarify where your gym fits into the market. For example, your gym may be twice the size of other All Star gyms in the area, allowing you to accommodate more athletes at any given time.
Explain how you plan on marketing your cheer gym to potential customers. You’ll likely use a mix of online and offline channels, such as:
Organic and paid social media
Email marketing
Direct mail
Local search engine optimization (SEO)
Flyers
Local partnerships
In this section, you should also establish your brand logistics, as branding will be a huge part of your cheer gym’s identity and promotion. List the colors you use, include your brand logo, and, if available, include a mockup of your competitive uniforms.
Outline the structure of your business with key details like the number of employees you’ll hire and what your management team will look like. Explain what each role will entail and who should fill it. For instance, you might want to recruit competitive coaches who have coached All Star cheer teams in the past.
Wrap up your plan with your financial framework. Include details like:
Financing options
Business costs
Future projected earnings
If you need help getting started with your cheer gym’s business plan, use our template below:
When you form a legal business entity, you protect yourself from personal legal liability for business-related scenarios and determine your cheer gym’s tax status for proper filing. You might designate your cheer gym as a:
Sole Proprietorship. By default, your business structure will be a sole proprietorship. This structure does not legally separate you from your business. Note that many cheer gyms don’t select this option, as cheerleading has significant physical risks that individual business owners don’t want to be legally liable for.
Limited Liability Company (LLC). Instead of a sole proprietorship, cheer gym owners often choose to form an LLC to protect their personal assets. Additionally, establishing an LLC makes your business appear credible and trustworthy to potential customers.
In addition to establishing a legal business entity, cheer gyms looking to start All Star teams should register with the USASF. That way, you can compete at competitions and potentially receive bids to end-of-season events like The Summit or The Cheerleading Worlds.
Finding the right space for your cheer gym can be a laborious process. You’re looking for a facility with extremely specific qualifications to ensure it’s a safe, productive space for all. In addition to seeking a large warehouse-style building, you’ll want to consider the following:
Clear-span architecture with no center pillars so athletes can safely perform routines and tumbling passes
A ceiling height of at least 18-20 feet to ensure safe tumbling and stunting
A parent viewing area where family members can comfortably watch their athletes
The opportunity for acoustic dampening to align with local acoustic zoning regulations
Adequate parking for coaches, athletes, parents, and other staff
As we mentioned before, if you can’t find a space that’s suitable for your cheer gym, don’t rush into it. Consider renting space from a similar facility, like a gymnastics gym, martial arts dojo, or a local high school, until you find the right space for your cheer gym.
Equip your new cheer gym with the right tools. You’ll need both equipment and software to help you run your cheer gym properly.
To set up your cheer gym, source the following equipment:
54 x 42-foot Baltic Birch spring floor
Safety matting, such as panel mats and incline mats
Trampolines
Tumbl Trak
Sound system
You can potentially reduce costs by renting some of your equipment or purchasing it used.
Running a cheer gym requires a lot of moving parts. Cheer gym management software like Studio Pro can help handle the logistics of cheer gym management, such as:
Cheer gym software is the key to focusing your time and energy on what’s most important: training talented athletes and building a tight-knit cheer community.
To truly make your cheer gym a success, you’ll need a team of kind, hardworking individuals who are committed to bringing your mission to life. Start by identifying the roles you need to fill, such as:
Tumbling specialists
Competitive team or stunt coaches
Recreational or preschool class instructors
Once you’ve narrowed down what you’re looking for, determine the qualifications the ideal candidate for each role would possess. For instance, you may seek competitive team coaches with significant prior experience, while a friendly high school student might be an excellent preschool class instructor with the right training, even if they don’t have a cheer background.
In an earlier section, we reviewed the types of insurance you may consider for your cheer gym. Make sure to choose the right coverage to protect your business, and consider consulting a legal professional for assistance.
If you’ve chosen to run your business as an LLC, you’ll also need to incorporate it with your state government. Complete this step before you hire any employees. You may also have to complete paperwork to stay compliant with state and local authorities, so do your research to discover any requirements you need to follow.
Lastly, develop safety protocols for your cheer gym. These protocols should promote athlete and staff safety in and around the gym. Ensure anyone who enters your gym is aware of these protocols so they can easily follow them.
Follow your initial marketing plan to spread the word about your cheer gym. Consider hosting a kickoff event where community members can visit and experience your cheer gym. Partner with other local businesses to sponsor the event, and have your coaches attend and introduce themselves to potential cheer families.
Spread your reach online through digital channels like social media, search engine optimization (SEO), and pay-per-click (PPC). Track which channels source the most leads by using your cheer gym management platform’s lead management system.
With all of your logistics in place, it’s time to start forming your cheer community and getting to work! Before your initial tryouts, host open-gym clinics to build hype and familiarize potential athletes with your gym.
Then, focus your tryouts on evaluating and placing athletes on the right teams, rather than cutting them. That way, you can maximize revenue and include as many athletes in your roster as possible.
Opening a cheer gym is no easy feat. However, by thinking through the details and following a regimented approach, you can navigate the process and create a welcoming environment for athletes to practice the sport you all share a passion for.
To take your gym management to the next level, use Studio Pro’s cheer gym software. Our solution takes the stress and guesswork out of cheer gym management, helping you handle everything from managing leads to collecting assessments. Get a free 30-day trial today, and see how Studio Pro allows you to focus on what truly matters: training successful athletes!
To learn more about how Studio Pro helps with cheer gym management, explore these additional resources:
Cheer Gym Management Software | Get Started with Studio Pro. Check out our cheer gym management software and how it can help you run your business more smoothly.
Cheer Gym Marketing | Get Started Today with Studio Pro. Investigate Studio Pro’s cheer gym marketing capabilities to grow your gym.
Cheer Registration Form: How to Create Yours & Templates. Learn how to create a cheer registration form to get new athletes signed up for your gym.
Laura Cole, CEO and Business Leader of Studio Pro
Laura Cole is the CEO and Business Leader of Studio Pro, a leading studio management software platform serving over 6,000 studios across all 50 U.S. states and more than 35 countries. Laura brings deep expertise in SaaS operations, strategic planning, and project management, with a passion for helping dance, cheer, gymnastics, and performing arts businesses grow and thrive.
Since taking the helm in 2020, she’s been dedicated to building tools that streamline studio operations and empower small business owners to succeed. When she’s not leading Studio Pro or partnering with studio owners, Laura enjoys running, yoga, and hosting friends at home with her husband and two young boys.