about the dsoa

We help dance studio owners build real businesses, without losing the heart behind why they started.

The Dance Studio Owners Association (DSOA) exists to support studio owners through the entire journey of ownership—from first enrollments to long-term sustainability, leadership, and growth.

We believe studio owners deserve more than hustle, guesswork, and burnout.

They deserve clear strategy, proven systems, and honest guidance—designed specifically for the business of dance.

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Why DSOA Exists

Most studio owners didn’t set out to become business owners.

They set out to teach, inspire, and share their love of dance.

but running a studio means navigating:

pricing & profitability

marketing that actually works

enrollment & retention

systems that don't live only in your head

staffing & leadership

the constant tension between passion & pressure

DSOA was created to bridge that gap.

We help studio owners move out of overwhelm and into clarity—so they can run studios that are financially healthy, well-led, and aligned with the lives they want to live.

From Our Foundations to Today

DSOA began over a decade ago with a bold but necessary idea: dance studios are real businesses, and studio owners deserve real business education.

Our early years were shaped by founder Clint Salter, whose work helped establish the fundamental principles of studio profitability, sustainability, and professional leadership that continue to anchor DSOA today.

Those fundamentals still matter—but the industry has evolved, and so have the challenges studio owners face.

Built on that strong foundation, DSOA has grown alongside the industry, expanding and modernizing our education to reflect the realities of running a studio today. What started as a conversation about profitability has become a comprehensive approach to studio ownership—one that addresses leadership, systems, growth, and long-term sustainability.

From Our Foundations to Today

DSOA began over a decade ago with a bold but necessary idea: dance studios are real businesses, and studio owners deserve real business education.

Our early years were shaped by founder Clint Salter, whose work helped establish the fundamental principles of studio profitability, sustainability, and professional leadership that continue to anchor DSOA today.

Those fundamentals still matter—but the industry has evolved, and so have the challenges studio owners face.

Built on that strong foundation, DSOA has grown alongside the industry, expanding and modernizing our education to reflect the realities of running a studio today. What started as a conversation about profitability has become a comprehensive approach to studio ownership—one that addresses leadership, systems, growth, and long-term sustainability.

Today, DSOA is led by Olivia Mode-Cater...

an industry leader in dance education, entrepreneurship, and studio business strategy.

Under her leadership, DSOA delivers dynamic, up-to-date training grounded in real-world application, not hype or shortcuts.

Olivia is known for combining big-picture strategic thinking with practical, implementable systems and compassionate, honest guidance. She has helped thousands of studio owners rethink how they lead, price, grow, and sustain their businesses—without shame, fluff, or unrealistic expectations.

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together with a team full of experts and coaches, olivia leads a modern, team-driven dsoa,

one that honors the fundamentals that built this organization while continually evolving to meet the needs of today’s studio owners.

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A Team of Dance Industry Experts

Our team includes former dancers, teachers, studio owners, and entrepreneurs who understand this industry from the inside out.

We coach and train on:

Studio finances and pricing

marketing & student attraction

retention & customer experience

hiring, leadership & delegation

systems, operations & automation

Long-term growth & exit planning

Everything we teach is pressure-tested, dance studio-specific, and grounded in what actually works—not generic business advice.

This is why DSOA is often called the business school for dance studio owners.

The Largest Studio Owner Community in the World

Each week, DSOA reaches over 50,000 dance studios, collectively serving more than one million students worldwide.

We support studio owners through:

a free global studio owner facebook community

free resources and trainings

live & on-demand workshops

The Studio growth pathways app

the transform my dance studio podcast

our private coaching membership: the inner circle

Studio owners engage with DSOA at different stages, and often grow with us over time as their needs evolve.

what we believe

Studio Owners Should be Paid Fairly for their Expertise

Passion and Profitability are not Opposites

Systems Create Freedom, not Rigidity

Leadership can be Learned

You Don't Need to do Everything Alone

We help studio owners step out of the “starving artist” mindset and into confident, strategic ownership—so their studios can thrive for years to come.
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The Full Picture
of Studio Ownership

We don't teach fragments of studio ownership. We teach the whole thing.

from attracting the right students

to keeping them
long-term

from running numbers with confidence

to building teams
you trust

from daily
operations

to big-picture
planning

DSOA exists to give studio owners clarity, courage, and direction - at every stage.

If you’re looking for guidance, support, and strategy built specifically for dance studio owners—you’re in the right place.

Welcome to the DSOA

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