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- Mar 25, 2010
- 613
- 566
I don't think owning a gym is something that a highschool or college course would prerequisite.
A cheer gym, like any business, it would be prudent to develop a basic working knowledge of the business/commerce world. I know my high school only offered introductory business classes, but those are definitely something to consider to expand your knowledge on basic skills such as accounting, management, marketing, economics etc.
You also need to consider a university program that fits your interests - as studying something you hate is very difficult, especially at the university/college level. It is important to remember that your post-secondary education does not mandate what you pursue after graduation. Yes there are fields such as law, medicine and accounting that a focused undergrad would aid in - however, doing an undergraduate in psychology, or sociology, or music will not limit you from pursuing medical, law, accounting (or owning a cheer gym) in post-graduate studies. Study what interests you. I cannot stress this enough.
If business is something that truly interests you, keep in mind the high school prerequisites required to obtain an undergraduate degree in a commerce program. Often things such as calculus, advance functions, data management, & English are all prerequisites - however each school varies and it is important to do your own research.
I know my school also offered a concurrent business diploma to accompany your degree - for example, I studied kinesiology (which interested me at the time) and took business electives, so I graduated with a Bachelor of Kin with a Business Diploma. Again, every school is different, but these are some options you could look into.
You are still very young, and your career aspirations may change between now and college graduation. Study what interests you, if entrepreneurship is something you wish to pursue, a business education will definitely provide you with some of the skills required. However, no course will ever fully prepare you like gaining personal, hands-on, experience. Consider getting a coaching job now, as you are definitely old enough to be an assistant coach to younger teams and start work on your credentialing/ gaining experience. Consider shadowing a gym owner as a summer job, or doing a co-op in a gym (barring these would probably be unpaid positions you would pursue strictly for experience). Start learning about the business of gym-ownership on your own time, because there is A LOT more too it then just choreographing routines, and sending kids to competition.
Hopefully this helps a little.
A cheer gym, like any business, it would be prudent to develop a basic working knowledge of the business/commerce world. I know my high school only offered introductory business classes, but those are definitely something to consider to expand your knowledge on basic skills such as accounting, management, marketing, economics etc.
You also need to consider a university program that fits your interests - as studying something you hate is very difficult, especially at the university/college level. It is important to remember that your post-secondary education does not mandate what you pursue after graduation. Yes there are fields such as law, medicine and accounting that a focused undergrad would aid in - however, doing an undergraduate in psychology, or sociology, or music will not limit you from pursuing medical, law, accounting (or owning a cheer gym) in post-graduate studies. Study what interests you. I cannot stress this enough.
If business is something that truly interests you, keep in mind the high school prerequisites required to obtain an undergraduate degree in a commerce program. Often things such as calculus, advance functions, data management, & English are all prerequisites - however each school varies and it is important to do your own research.
I know my school also offered a concurrent business diploma to accompany your degree - for example, I studied kinesiology (which interested me at the time) and took business electives, so I graduated with a Bachelor of Kin with a Business Diploma. Again, every school is different, but these are some options you could look into.
You are still very young, and your career aspirations may change between now and college graduation. Study what interests you, if entrepreneurship is something you wish to pursue, a business education will definitely provide you with some of the skills required. However, no course will ever fully prepare you like gaining personal, hands-on, experience. Consider getting a coaching job now, as you are definitely old enough to be an assistant coach to younger teams and start work on your credentialing/ gaining experience. Consider shadowing a gym owner as a summer job, or doing a co-op in a gym (barring these would probably be unpaid positions you would pursue strictly for experience). Start learning about the business of gym-ownership on your own time, because there is A LOT more too it then just choreographing routines, and sending kids to competition.
Hopefully this helps a little.
- Apr 28, 2017
- 514
- 483
In general, things that will help in running a small business will be marketing, accounting, business, public relations. In high school, make sure you have math through precalculus so you can go right into business calculus and statistics, and work on getting good writing skills. Courses in website design may also be helpful.
Things that will help in coaching-kinesiology, physical education, athletic training, dance/dance education, physical therapy, nutrition, dietetics.
Please note that at the college level almost all of these are independent majors. It’s usually good to pick one to focus on and then use your electives wisely. If your state has paid or inexpensive dual enrollment that can free up time later for useful electives.
Work experience is also very helpful, both paid and unpaid. If your high school has a chance to do a business internship, doing one at a cheer gym or a similar business (dance studio, Karate dojo, etc would also be very helpful.)
Things that will help in coaching-kinesiology, physical education, athletic training, dance/dance education, physical therapy, nutrition, dietetics.
Please note that at the college level almost all of these are independent majors. It’s usually good to pick one to focus on and then use your electives wisely. If your state has paid or inexpensive dual enrollment that can free up time later for useful electives.
Work experience is also very helpful, both paid and unpaid. If your high school has a chance to do a business internship, doing one at a cheer gym or a similar business (dance studio, Karate dojo, etc would also be very helpful.)
Economics, Finance, Accounting, Management, Sports Management, Marketing, Entrepreneurship
- Jun 22, 2011
- 2,061
- 11,040
When I was in tenth grade, I told everyone I was going to open a gym too. Here I am, six months post college graduation, and I’m a radiologic technologist working full time, and training in mammography (but I still work for NCA with camps, clinics, and various judging opportunities.) I’ve realized that’s the perfect amount of cheerleading for me at this point in my life. There are so many ways to “stay in” cheerleading that are not just being a gym owner. One of my best friends studied communications in college, and is now working for FloCheer, traveling every weekend to see different gyms, showcases, and competitions. If you want to study fashion design, uniform and apparel designers are always needed. If you want to study marketing, competitions need people to market for them. Don’t be afraid to pursue what you’re truly passionate about, because more than likely, we can connect it back to cheerleading! :)
- Jan 9, 2010
- 3,846
- 5,827
I second @yooolizzi. I never want to dissuade someone from pursuing a career in cheerleading, but I do want to encourage you to choose a college degree that will help you find success in many fields, not just as a gym owner. You may graduate at 22 and find that your passion for cheerleading is as strong as ever, or you may find yourself wanting absolutely nothing to do with cheer anymore.
- Nov 10, 2015
- 1,285
- 1,849
Unfortunately, there's not a degree you can get in tenacity, that's a trait you have to learn on your own. Think about all the all star gyms that open and fail within a very small amount of time. This is not a cheer gym issue, most small businesses in the United States fail within the first five years. Cheer gyms just happen to fall into that category. All of the business classes listed above will help you understand the two primary causes of these failures: 1) poor planning and 2) too much growth, too fast, with too much debt.
Because of the equipment that everyone believes is necessary to own a successful gym, most cheer gyms begin with a boatload of debt. You can avoid this by growing slowly. Purchase Dave Ramsey's book "Entreleadership" as a starting point, and then start brainstorming NOW about how you can follow his slow-growth mentality debt free.
Some things that I have seen friends of mine do that have worked well and produced two very successful, single-site locations:
1) Begin your all star program by renting gym time from a local gymnastics facility and practicing there. This will require some WRITTEN agreements about the amount of time you will be able to utilize their facility and what days/nights/hours of the week the place will be yours. Don't forget to factor the cost of this rental time into your fees for your all star program.
2) Lease your first gym, don't go out and take out a commercial loan to purchase a huge facility. The chances that you could qualify for one without someone else taking on the risk with you would be very slim anyway, but banks will do dumb things. If the bank is requiring you to have a cosigner, that means they don't expect you to be able to pay the money back. That's a sign that something in your application is a red flag for them. Consider that a warning that you may be biting off more than you can chew. By leasing, you limit your exposure to risk. If your first go at it fails, the amount of money your out is limited by the length/buyout option of your lease. The monthly rent you pay will look substantial, but it's going to be much easier to swallow if things go south and you realize you're out a limited amount versus potential hundreds of thousands of dollars if you can't sell the property you've bought or built.
SIDE NOTE: One of my best cheer friends of all time started his gym literally in a barn. There was enough concrete floor space for him to lay out a full cheer floor. The ceiling space did not allow for baskets to be thrown (I actually grazed the ceiling with my flyer popping a stretch double down once). The owner allowed him to use it for free, and five years after starting, he had saved enough money to rent an old warehouse. When he sold out 15 years later, he had built up to owning a building with two full-size spring floors and an airtrak. He did all of this without ever taking on debt. He never stressed over years when his participation was low because he had very little risk.
3) Never borrow money for equipment. Check out the prices for used equipment on websites such as this one and any others that sell used tumbling equipment. You will never get enough out of it used to pay back a loan for it, and it's almost always possible to come up with a drill to train skills without it. In the formative years, maybe you need to focus on the level 1 or level 2 segment of the market where a single wedge will give you the ability to sufficiently train your athletes' skills. Then as the team grows and you can afford more equipment, you can build those kids up to levels 3, 4, 5.
4) On the same lines, never pay full price for equipment when there is a world of it on sale on Ebay and places like this website. Watch for deals with free shipping as well.
5) Learn the fine art of marketing your teams successes in the best possible light. It's cool to put "475 national championships" on your website for the general public, but people within the business know that these companies make national championship banners left and right. When your team finishes in 4th place, but only 0.2 behind "Kick Butt All Stars" who's name everyone knows, put that little snippet on your website, just a photo of the final placings with the scores and your team name circled...people within the industry will read the placing above and the placing below and will realize that you were competitive with that big-name gym.
6) Be prepared to hustle your tail off, and coach all of the teams yourself for the first few years. The biggest ongoing expense for any business in any industry is almost always payroll. Hiring a head coach, assistant coach, stunt coach, tumbling coach, all star coordinator, etc, for a small program is ridiculous. If owning the program is your full time job, you should be able to coach three or four teams with one assistant. You might consider hiring out choreography and passing that fee on to your athletes, but having a full-time choreographer on staff is nuts.
7) The people you do hire, take care of them. Loyalty breeds loyalty.
8) Lastly, be sure that you're operating within the economic circumstances of your clientele. Every all star cheerleader wants to wear a sparkly uniform that some poor kid in a foreign company has spent 6 weeks bedazzling for 25 cents a month. Not every all star parent wants, or can afford, to pay $500 for said uniform. Every all star cheerleader wants to compete at Worlds or the Summit or what have you. Not every all star parent wants, or can afford, to pay for said trip. Anonymous surveys can be your friend. Pricing out items you purchase before you purchase them can be your friend. Consider having at least one half-season team for the purposes of allowing people an option to get in on the ground floor and purchase items like team bags, warm ups, etc in a season in which they are spending a limited amount on competition entry fees.
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- Apr 2, 2011
- 2,210
- 4,495
You don't need a degree to open a gym, but something like 50% of small businesses fail within their first 5 years so I don't think getting an education on running a business is at all a bad idea.
I know a few people that I cheered with when I was in school who wanted to open a gym and I believe they were majoring in Business Administration and were minoring/double majoring in either Sports Management or Kinesiology.
I know a few people that I cheered with when I was in school who wanted to open a gym and I believe they were majoring in Business Administration and were minoring/double majoring in either Sports Management or Kinesiology.
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