It starts with an idea, a passion. It's this passion for what they're doing that drives them. Spending countless hours in the garage, they work relentlessly towards perfection.

Constantly barraged by obstacles, they always seem to find a way around the brick wall, striving to achieve their goal. Passion for Perfection could be used to describe a great number of entrepreneurial success stories. However, in this case, it's about a band. Who would have thought, similarities between musicians and entrepreneurs? Not possible. Or is it? We decided to look at the business side of starting a band. The fact is, a band is very much a business, and musicians are very much entrepreneurs.

We interviewed a regional band, A Mind Like Yours, to learn more about the business side of music. A Mind Like Yours is not huge, they aren't on Billboard, and you won't be seeing their music videos intermixed with Outkast on MTV. They're real, and they're just like every one of the thousands of local and regional bands and musical groups out there operating out of their basement or a garage-turned-studio.

Unless your musical talent is playing half-filled water glasses with a spoon, you are going to need some cash to get started. A Mind Like Yours estimates that they've dropped a good 10 or 12 grand since they started some two years ago. This goes to everything from guitars, to drums, to microphones. Band members of A Mind Like Yours have incurred no debt thus far. All of their money has been pooled from part-time jobs, life savings, and loans to one another for equipment.

Like closing the first sale, the first gig signifies a group's legitimacy. More importantly, the money starts coming in instead of going out. Although A Mind Like Yours has given its share of free performances, $300 for performing a gig is not unheard of. Lead singer Mike Aliotti stresses the importance of not being afraid to charge for performing. "You are providing a product and people are paying to see you. You need to make sure you are being paid for that product. It may seem greedy, but as a band you just can't afford to travel everywhere, especially if you are going out of town."

Once A Mind Like Yours began getting consistent gigs, they put together a sample CD with three songs to generate some additional funds. By selling CDs, shirts and other band paraphernalia, they raised enough money to head into a recording studio. Instead of paying an hourly rate, they cut a deal with the owner to get their first CD recorded for $2,000.

After all the parts are recorded, the CD gets mastered, which if done professionally can cost anywhere from $50-$200 an hour. When it is all said and done, A Mind Like Yours will be cutting 1,000 CDs at a cost of $3-$4 each, and selling them for $8-10. Of the 1,000 CDs, 200 to 300 will be sent to clubs, small record labels and review magazines.

A Mind Like Yours plans to tour the West Coast this summer, including Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Idaho and Arizona. Pat Hursley, the drummer, estimated it would cost an additional $1,600 to transport the equipment. (For tips on how to travel on a budget see Happy Trails on page 18). However, touring is a necessary component in selling merchandise, building a fan base, and ultimately brings the band one step closer to getting signed.

Everything A Mind Like Yours does drives them toward the final goal of getting signed. Having gone through the process of acquiring gear, writing songs, posting a website, producing a professional CD and touring, A Mind Like Yours hopes that their hard work will pay off. Signing with a label will allow them to take their band to the next level, cutting more CDs, touring more, and ultimately letting them do what they love: playing music. As Mike put it, "The label will do all kinds of stuff to promote your tour, and you go out and do it in hopes that you will make more money than they gave you. The money will go back to them; they take a cut and we get the rest."

A Mind Like Yours is hoping to make enough money to support the band members, so they can keep on doing what they love. "We don't care about the money and being so ridiculously big that it's a joke. We want to earn enough money to live comfortably and not get screwed over. We love to play, and that is what''s going to help us succeed."

A Mind Like Yours has run their band like a business, knowing exactly what their goals are, and what it will take to get there. Whether they know it or not, the band members in A Mind Like Yours have crossed an interesting parallel of being part musicians, part entrepreneurs.