CEO Armada Music, Maykel Piron: ''Biggest learning moment was when my little son became seriously ill''.

Dutch independent record label Armada Music has been scoring worldwide for 20 years with names like Armin van Buuren and Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano. In the new column "A Mutual With...," MASTERS talks to "the man behind," co-founder & CEO Maykel Piron (47), to get to know the entrepreneur.

Founded in 2003 by Arminvan Buuren, MaykelPiron and DavidLewis, Armada Music exploits dance music worldwide. From their offices in Amsterdam, London, New York and Laren, they manage an impressive portfolio of more than 40,000 tracks. In "A Conversation With..." co-founder and CEO Maykel Piron talks about his career, success, learning moments and his biggest inspiration, among other things.

What characteristics characterize you as an entrepreneur?

''As an entrepreneur, I try to see possibilities and opportunities quickly, like when a new platform comes along. Then I want to be the first to use it. With Spotify, for example, we were one of the first dance labels to exploit our music here and create playlists. That intrinsic desire to be first has matured a bit over the years.When I was young I always wanted to move fast, but now that I have a little more experience and years of life, I take my time when I see an opportunity and often think about it a little longer. I want to be the best in everything I do and what we do as a company; I want the same for the people who work for me and the artists. I don't do it for the money. It's for the growth of the company, though.''

What do you see as the greatest success in your career?

''The biggest success is the company itself, Armada Music. We have been competing at the world's top for 20 years, and my motivation is to stay at the top. Every year I want to sign new artists and release music that scores internationally. That's how we achieve over a billion streams every year. Being the best at what we do; that feels like a great success to me.''

What would you do with (an investment of) €1 million?

''Recently we purchased a property in Laren: a goofy building that contains our soul. When you step inside, you immediately feel that it is a record company. In addition, our office in New York is almost finished; I would invest in that as well. So I would invest money in offices and good studios.''

What has been the biggest learning moment in your career?

''For me, every day is a learning moment; every day I want to learn. I am surrounded by people from whom I can also learn, both nationally and internationally. But the biggest learning moment was when my son got leukemia. This taught me how to delegate even better, which gave other people the opportunity to develop faster and made the company even stronger. Fortunately, with my son everything is going well now.''

Who would you like to start a business with?

''My circle of friends and network consists mainly of entrepreneurs and smart people who achieve many successes. Right now I am working on a big project that I cannot tell much about yet. Globally, I am looking at who can be my best partner in this. So I have no desire to start a business with a specific person; I am mainly looking for someone who connects with this project and can add value."

What is your best entrepreneurial tip?

''Never do it for the money and start a business with a product or service you fully believe in. The most important thing is that you enjoy being an entrepreneur. Before you start: gain experience at a company within the same industry and try to become the best at it. For me, this was at Warner Music.''

Biggest risk you've ever taken?

''I take little risk. We buy rights and rights only grow in value. Bidding a lot of money on a title is the biggest risk I take. Apart from the period during the pandemic when the clubs were closed, I have never seen declining sales.''

Do you have a morning routine?

''At 6:30 a.m. I get up and have breakfast with the kids. When the kids are at school, I play sports and then on to the office. Ten days a month I am in New York; of course the children are not there. Then my personal trainer comes around 7:30 and I go to the office after that.''

In which place do you prefer to work?

''Armada Music has offices in Amsterdam, Laren, New York and London. I like the combination of these offices. So sometimes in New York, other times in Amsterdam. That keeps it dynamic.''

Who or what is your biggest inspiration?

''My friends, mostly entrepreneurs, inspire me. With them I regularly talk about the ideas I have and they share their ideas. We spar about this and talk about our businesses. From this I learn a lot, and from their successes and visions I get inspiration.''

What do you get excited about?

''I love creating: closing deals, signing new music and opening new offices. Fortunately, music also still makes me very happy, ever since I was a kid. The fact that I can do business with music is the greatest thing there is. But also the little things in life, like having breakfast with my children and walking the dog in the woods, make me a happy person.''