Down to Business/ Web Exclusives/ webexclusive2

Expansion Case Study: All Star Legacy

All-Star Legacy, expansion, Trisha Hart April 30, 2014

Creating a thriving program is often the impetus for starting an all-star cheer gym—but what happens when that accomplishment generates considerable demand? Many business owners answer the call for expansion and go on to open multiple locations. To learn more about this approach, CheerProfessional asked three gym owners who took the leap and expanded based on their own initial success. Learn how All Star Legacy tackles the challenge while maintaining the integrity of their brand.

Down to Business/ Web Exclusives

Make Your Mark: Protecting Your Gym Brand

branding, legal, trademark April 28, 2014

You’ve worked hard to establish your own gym, creating a unique identity with colors, logo and uniforms. A few years later, having built a solid reputation, you’re at an event when in swaggers a brand-new team—wearing colors very similar to yours, a logo that looks awfully close to yours and (wait for it) practically the same name as yours, just with a different spelling.

Is this a scenario for yet another Bring It On movie? Unfortunately, no. It’s an all-too-common occurrence for many all-star cheer programs.

In the Industry/ Web Exclusives/ webexclusive1

Timeline: Industry Innovations and Trends

cheer history, industry trends, innovations April 23, 2014

Did you ace our industry quiz? Enhance your knowledge even more with our comprehensive timeline of industry trends and innovations—from rebate plans to stay-to-play to custom uniforms—and find out how they came to fruition. (Please note: this is a living document! We are continually updating and adding more information. If you would like to add updates to our timeline, please email us at info@thecheerprofessional.com).

In the Industry/ Web Exclusives/ webexclusive2

Test Your Trends Knowledge!

Event Producers, industry trends, uniforms April 20, 2014

With all of the developments in our ever-evolving industry, it can be hard to keep up. For handy reference, we’ve compiled a thorough timeline of how some of today’s hottest trends and innovations came about (and the companies that pioneered them). But before it publishes this Wednesday, take our quiz below to find out how much you know—then check out the answers in our sneak preview!

In the Industry/ Web Exclusives

State of the Union 2014

billy smith, brian harris, kathy penree, state of the union, tammy van vleet April 9, 2014

For the second year in a row, CheerProfessional tapped four of the industry’s cheer “leaders” for a spirited panel discussion on our industry and its future. Check out our “State of the Union” panel for 2014 and read what they have to say.

Blogs/ webexclusive1

Starting a Gym 101: Keeping Tabs

accounting, Gym Kix, smart business, Starting a Gym 101 April 4, 2014

Number 10 on our list is to set up an in-house office system for recordkeeping and accounting. Many new business owners tend to put this on the back burner or contract it out to “someone who likes math,” and it can soon become cancerous. Improper record keeping or accounting can become a business owner’s worst nightmare, so attention to detail is extremely important.

Down to Business/ Web Exclusives/ webexclusive2

Behind the Merger: West Virginia Cheer Academy

kayla wygal, mergers, west virginia cheer academy April 1, 2014

As the divide between small and large gyms grows wider, it’s not uncommon for gyms to merge in an attempt to pump up profits and competitive power. On the surface, the reasons to merge seem clear—building a larger membership base or having the means to form a stronger coaching staff. But dig deeper and you’ll find that a number of other motivating factors are often at play, from strengthening the local cheer community to wanting to benefit the athletes. For our “Behind the Merger” series, we caught up with Kayla Wygal of West Virginia Cheer Academy.

Monthly Archives: April 2014