To Parents with Cheerleaders:

It depends on your market. My daughter has cheered since 8th grade and she is an upcoming Senior now on Varsity cheer at school.

I can't answer to cheer gyms and the acivities they have. We do use 1 cheer gym in the area for competitive training but for the most part we are all based at the school. We pay the cheer gym a huge $$ for training for competition.

I know many competitive cheerleaders in elementary up pay upwards of $5000 in our area inclunding training, competitions, travel, etc.

I'm not sure what you are looking for as in opening a business, etc. It is a big business and people want quality.

We don't do cheerleading, but I recently heard a news item on the radio concerning injuries in cheerleading and it mentioned that there is some kind of national professional association of cheerleading coaches or businesses, something along those lines. You know-- the kind of organization where people in the same business meet and exchange ideas, and maybe even approve or "accredit" those in the industry.

Try to find such an organization. It might do accreditation for cheerleading training businesses such as the one you want to open. In ANY activity, I would want my child only to participate in something that had the backing and support of a larger, professional association. This group may for instance do training of people like you, so you can put on your business that the director and teachers are "Cheerleading Coaches of America trained instructors" or whatever (I'm making up that name). It gives a business a far more professional tone and makes parents far more comfortable if they see that the director/owner/coaches are trained by an outside group and not just doing it solely on their own experience. (Not that there's anything wrong with your own experience, I'm just saying what makes many parents more comfortable is knowing that an independent, outside group has trained and/or monitors this person/business.)

Will you need a license to do this? Is cheer considered a "sport" in the eyes of the law in your city/county/state? If so -- what does that mean for your business?

What legal liabilities will you have even if there are waivers? (If not perfectly writtten, a waiver still can leave you open to being sued, so get a good lawyer involved and get tips and samples from others already in this business--that's a good reason to become part of a professional association, to learn from others in this industry.) What types of mats and other protective gear do you need to meet standards and, again, to avoid liability? What agency of your city/county/state would inspect your facilities, if any?

In anything where kids potentially could be hurt, you have to have all those ducks in a row before you let the first kid in the door. Oh yes -- and check out insurance as well. You won't be able to operate without it and need to account for the cost of it, which could be high.

My oldest has cheered for 3 years now. It is non competitive and purely for fun and self esteem building. We paid $90 for registration and then did fundraising to cover the expense of uniforms. If you don't do the fundraising you can expect to spend $200 to $300 on that stuff. The most I have had to pay out of my pocket was $117 the first year, but that was because we did not sell enough stuff. This particular organization starts at Kindergarten and goes to 6th or 8th grade depending on which school district you live in. They do stunting, but safety is always first and they can only stunt at their grade level. We do sign a medical release, but nothing has happened to my daughter yet. She is going into the 6th grade so stunts are getting more risky, but I trust my head coach and I'm the assistant coach. We have practice one to two times a week for an hour and half.

I think your best bet is to look at the marketplace. Are there successful cheer programs/classes in your area? Look at what they offer and what they charge. If not (which would be better for you!) look at programs in areas similar to yours, similar demographics. I'm sure you can get a lot of information online. That will give you a good idea of what people expect and what they are willing to pay.
Also, since you are just starting out I would keep it small at first. Maybe you could do a cheer class or camp through your local community center, YMCA or elementary school. That would give you some experience and exposure and you could gauge what parents in YOUR community would be willing to pay for and support.
Good luck!