My Way: Paul Ballance, of MBop Music, on how to succeed at work

'Arrogance is no good in the music industry'

Music entrepreneur Paul Ballance is the founder of MBop Music, the digital music service. In the Seventies, he fronted the Warm Jets and performed alongside the Sex Pistols.

What did you want to be as a child?

A footballer. I had a couple of trials but no one picked me, even though I thought I was the best there was.

What was your first job?

At 18, I became a trainee tax officer but I didn't last very long. It was interesting learning about the civil service, but by then I had started to sing and wanted to do it full-time. The Warm Jets' first London gig was with Ian Dury at the 100 Club and we quickly built up a large following. We did UK tours, had a hit with "Big City Boys", and then Zomba signed us. People thought we'd made it, but we didn't because we had management and money problems.

What did you do next?

I was interested in modern technology and the internet, and in the Eighties I got involved with distribution. Then I joined a production company and moved to the business side of things. Perhaps it was the tax officer part of me – I was good at handling money. In 1999, I started MegaBop Records. Then I recognised that the dance scene was changing and switched to digital. It was a considered risk and I was willing to take it. We moved from being a record label to a marketing and distributions system.

Do you consider yourself successful?

Yes, our company's turnover has quadrupled in the last three years.

Any regrets?

Quite a few! Warm Jets were one of the best bands around and a lot of people still remember us fondly. We should have carried on.

What's your advice to budding musicians?

Don't put yourself completely in the hands of other people. Work with people. Give them incentives to work with you, but don't give them too much power. If you want to be an entrepreneur, get as much basic business experience as you can. I like taking on people with music industry degrees, but even if university gives you the basic information, you still need to apply it.

The problem with students is that they have an unrealistic attitude; they expect a hit record and club dates, when even getting airplay is a massive task.

What are your interview tips?

I don't like people who are too confident or people who overrate what they've achieved. Arrogance is no good in the music industry; it's a people type of work and all about relationships.

And your CV tips?

I like plenty of detail. If you did marketing for a club promotion, what did you achieve? What was your revenue? I want to see something tangible.

What's the best perk of your job?

Access to loads of music. I used to be into electronic, pop, dance and jazz; now I'm into anything. I've learnt to respect music and artists, even if I'm not in their scene.