How an Arthur Murray Franchisee Knew She Was Ready for More

If you’re a franchise brand transitioning a strong owner-operator toward a multi-unit agreement, it’s essential that you’re confident in their ability to augment their approach to ensure success across all their locations. If you’re a single-unit franchisee who wants to grow, it’s essential for you to be sure you’re ready for your role and commitments to evolve.

Franchisee background

That’s why we were eager to sit down with a franchisee who’s making that transition right now. Enter Alexandria Camargo of Arthur Murray Dance Studios, an award-winning dancer and entrepreneur who’s been recognized multiple times by the Arthur Murray system as a top counselor, instructor, and supervisor.

Since April of 2025, Alex has been owner of the Arthur Murry Dance Studio in Melbourne, Florida. Just a few weeks ago, she signed a new agreement that will see her open four additional studios across the Jupiter, Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, West Palm Beach, Wellington, Royal Palm Beach, Port St. Lucie, and Stuart markets.

Expansion decision

It started to take shape as the Melbourne studio found its rhythm. Seeing the business thrive, work as it’s supposed to, with students progressing, instructors growing and repeat lessons occurring. It made me think what else would be possible with Arthur Murray.

I’ve also established systems, so our studio runs efficiently without me needing to be in the room at every moment, which is critical for expansion. The more I looked at opportunities in Palm Beach and the Treasure Coast, the more I saw communities full of people who would love to learn to dance.

Plus, I knew that if I didn’t take the opportunity now, someone else would jump on it.

Growth strategy

My biggest priority as we grow is protecting what makes our studio in Melbourne special. Students come back to us every week because of the feeling they get when they enter the studio. They know they’re part of a community with people surrounding them that want to see them succeed. It was critical for me to be sure I could bring that same care and culture to every new location.

That starts with the team. Finding and developing great instructors is everything in this business, and I wanted a clear plan for building studio leadership that could carry the culture forward. Location mattered too. I want to open our next studios in communities where the demand is there and where we can bring something to prospective students and dance instructors that doesn’t exist in their market.

The first time you’re looking at opening a studio, you’re learning the business fundamentals. This time I already know the business model, so my questions are much more specific. I wanted to understand how the territory would be structured and a realistic timeline to open. I asked a lot about the support behind multi-unit growth, including marketing, lead generation, instructor recruitment and training.

I also looked hard at my own operation and asked whether my current studio could keep performing while my attention is split across locations. The answers were clear, and Arthur Murray’s support gave me a lot of confidence, because the support has gotten stronger in exactly the areas that matter most when you’re scaling. Also, seeing how many existing owners were signing on to open more studios, how fast those studios were opening and watching how well they are performing were telling signs.

Make sure your first studio is truly running well before you take on more, because growth magnifies everything, the strengths and the weaknesses. Invest in your people early, since the instructors and managers you develop today are the ones who’ll help lead your continued growth tomorrow.

I would also recommend leaning on the brand. You don’t have to figure it all out alone, and the franchisees within the system that have already experienced multi-unit growth are great resources. Something I understand much better now is how much of this is about planning ahead.

Our first new studio will open in Jupiter or Palm Beach Gardens, and from there we’ll keep building across the territory. My role will change of course. As a single-unit owner, I’m on the floor and in one place and involved in almost every detail of our day-to-day business. As we grow, more of my time will go toward developing leaders, supporting my teams and making sure every studio feels like ours.

What excites me most is the impact we’ll have on more communities across the state. I’ve watched students walk in nervous, without any dance experience, and a few months later they’re enjoying themselves and building friendships for life. I’ve also witnessed countless people build confidence in themselves that they didn’t even know they had. Getting to create that experience in more communities across Florida is what this is all about for me.