Tsunami Allstars Cheerleading
It had always been my dream to inspire the next generation of elite athletes to fall in love with the sport of cheerleading.
Hayley Pearson shares how she launched and grew Tsunami Allstar Cheerleading, a cheerleading academy boasting over 200 students and multiple venues across the Lincolnshire area.
What got you into working for yourself?
Originally I started the club during maternity leave as something to do, I had moved over to Lincolnshire and there was no Allstar competitive cheerleading club in the area. I had fallen in love with the sport when I had got bored of gymnastics during secondary school and decided with the sparkly outfits, daring stunts, tumbling passes and sassy dance cheerleading looked really fun. I ended up winning National and European championships in top level elite teams before retiring to coaching duties (still do our masters adult team for a bit of fun!). It had always been my dream to own and run my own cheerleading academy to inspire the next generation of elite athletes to fall in love with the sport of cheerleading. Last November we took the huge plunge to invest in an industrial unit to create an allstar dedicated training facility which became Scunthorpe Cheerleading Academy. Tsunami Cheerleading became just our competitive cheerleading programme which trains in the academy and also 2 other locations. Both myself as Head Coach and my partner in crime Team Manager Michelle decided to go for it full time and quit our day jobs, which worked better for us as we were struggling with childcare options before and after school due to Covid restrictions.Â
What were the main challenges and what would you do differently?
Our main challenge for us has been on the admin and financial side and I wish we had invested in a software system from the start than using paper and excel sheets. We now have class4kids.co.uk booking system which manages athletes details, registers, medical information, communications and payments. This has made a huge difference for us not only reducing admin time but meeting all the requirements for information required. Additionally we have seen an increase in bookings as we have shared the class info and booking link on social media as it’s so easy to sign up for a free taster session!!
Our of our major challenges was staff, we had a staff member that was emotional, hot tempered and not suitable for the coaching role. They didn’t get along or had other motives caused huge dramas, lots of stress, tears and late nights playing peace keeper. We came to a mutual decision with them that they weren’t right for the team. We are now in a really good place with a strong, cohesive team and positive vibe and no drama rule. We put in place a contract and clear expectations on how we expect them to deliver sessions and act professionally. It was a learning curve for us how to handle staff drama but it’s no nonsense to drama now!!
Covid has been a big challenge but we took on virtual classes each week adapting our coaching. It was a challenge getting the athletes to get involved in them but we had a treat class for every athlete that completed 3 a week or sent pictures/videos of drills and conditioning for skills. Our beach theme treat class was a huge hit where everyone dressed up with swimsuits, googles, inflatables etc and we played some great fitness adapted games!! And got very wet playing them. Being back in the gym our coaching style has totally changed, it was a challenge working out how we can do a sport which usually requires a lot of contact 2m apart and without spotting any gymnastic skills but we overcame this and created a fitness, conditioning and drills.Â
One of my biggest business tips to businesses and one I’ve been told over the years is business that are cash rich with cash in the bank and not investors, business loans and debts are more successful. Cash in the bank was our lifesaver during Covid lockdown, we always try to keep 6 months of running costs in the bank. We did receive the government £10k grant for the building and additional £4k from Sports England but with no money coming in it helped put our minds at ease that together with the grants we would survive financially. A lot in our industry haven’t been so lucky and have shut down – you never know what’s around the corner, even a Global Pandemic!
Create a positive environment with a good vibe and drive out any negativity, drama whether staff or customers – and don’t get involved in it! Don’t react to situations right away, step back, get the facts and then only get involved if you have to but sleep on it! Focus on yourself, your goals, staying optimistic, positive and keep pushing forward. Keep an eye on competitors but don’t get obsessed as whilst they are focusing on what you are doing, you focus on yourself and get ahead of them!
What’s the future look like for fitness businesses and how are you staying ahead of the game?
I think it has been really positive to see how the fitness industry, ourselves included, have adapted during the pandemic with virtual classes and adapting training styles to no contact etc. I think it’s a hugely popular and growing industry which seems to have gained a huge number of new customers during lockdown with the goal of improving their health and fitness.
We are the best in the area for the sport with the only dedicated cheerleading training facilities and the most elite qualified and experienced coaching team so we are ahead of all the competitors. I’m highly confident that won’t change but we won’t be getting complacent, we are constantly pushing our next project and development of our coaching staff. We dominate the local Google search results for cheerleading in our area and kids sports classes without even a website! But we want to keep pushing the marketing side and we have our brand new websites launching this month. Our 3 year goal from now is to move to a bigger training facility and in the next 6 months to install a full sprung floor in the academy. We also plan to launch 2 more class locations in the next 3 months which is really exciting.
