In the United States alone, millions of entrepreneurs exist. But none are as driven as John Cronin, a 22-year old with Down Syndrome. Together, John and has dad run an online business — John’s Crazy Socks. And it just celebrated a two-year anniversary. Here’s an Instagram photo of John.
Before reading more about John, look at these entrepreneurship posts:
- Can You Afford to Become an Entrepreneur?
- Advice from U.S. Entrepreneurs: Starting, Growing, Staying Inspired
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- Can YOU Cut It as An Entrepreneur?
The Story of John’s Crazy Socks
“John’s Crazy Socks is a father-son venture inspired by co-founder John Lee Cronin, a young man with Down syndrome. With John’s affinity for crazy socks paired with his love of making people smile, our mission was clear. We want to spread happiness. Indeed, we have a social mission and a retail mission, and they are indivisible. And we want to show what is possible when you give someone a chance. Every day, we demonstrate what people with intellectual disabilities can do. And we believe in giving back: we donate 5 percent of our earnings to the Special Olympics as they’ve played a vital role in John’s development. Thus, we continue to expand our charity partners by offering and creating socks with specific ‘awareness’ themes, such as our Autism Awareness Socks and Down Syndrome Awareness Socks.”
Recently, CNBC did a story on John’s Crazy Socks. And it included the video shown below. In her report, Sarah Berger noted that:
In a small warehouse in Melville, New York — a town located on Long Island — dozens of shelves of neatly organized bins hold colorful socks featuring every playful print imaginable. There are socks featuring avocados; Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s face; socks that look like Vincent Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” painting; and socks with sloths. And yes, this is John Cronin’s multimillion-dollar sock business. Although Cronin is only 22 years old and he also has Down syndrome, a chromosomal condition with symptoms that include low muscle tone, small stature and an upward slant to the eyes, as well as cognitive delays, according to National Down Syndrome Society. For example, two dollars from every awareness sock sale are donated to the company’s charity partners and John’s Crazy Socks also donates 5 percent of its earnings to the Special Olympics.“
