Who made the instruments currently played by both Itzhak Perlman and Yo Yo Ma? Who crafted the violin sold for a record $3.5 million at an auction in 2006? What instrument maker still inspires awe after producing masterpieces some 300+ years ago?

His name is Antonio Stradivari and he was born nearly 350 years ago.

So, why does Antonio Stradivari belong in a blog about Entrepreneurship?

We live in an age where most of our goods are mass produced for cost savings. Your Gap t-shirt has the same specs as one sold across the country. Even your piano nowadays was likely produced on a mass scale with little to distinguish it from others.

And so for hundreds of years, luthiers (stringed-instrument makers) around the world have been crafting their violins the best they can. And yet one person has the reputation for making the best violins in the world. Stradivari was born in 1644. Violin makers to this day cannot figure out what he did to make his violins have the perfection of sound unique to his instruments.

So what does this mean for you as an entrepreneur? What field are you currently working in? Is your good or service produced on a mass scale with little individuality? Are you especially skilled in the production of a particular product? Could you stop producing this product on a large scale and begin to target a smaller consumer base looking for products of exceptional quality?

Stradivari belongs in a blog about Entrepreneurship because he distinguished himself from all of the other violin makers in the world to create the world’s most perfect acoustical machines.