Today on Alone with Peter, I am joined by two very special guests, John and Mark Cronin of John's crazy socks. John and his dad, Mark Cronin are the co-founders of John's crazy socks, a social enterprise with a mission to spread happiness.

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John's Crazy Socks

John’s Crazy Socks was inspired by John Lee Cronin, a young man with Down syndrome, and a wacky fashion sense. In five years, they bootstrapped their business into the world's largest sock store with multimillion-dollar sales in 88 different nations.

John and Mark remain fierce advocates for the rights of the differently-abled with more than half of their employees having differing abilities. They’ve been able to raise over $475,000 for charity partners like the Special Olympics, the National Down Syndrome Society, and the Autism Society of America. And they’ve used their platform to instigate change in legislature, testifying twice before US Congress, speaking at the United Nations, and recording two TEDx talks.

I’m so excited to have these two on Alone with Peter today to talk about their origin story and entrepreneurial journey. In part 1 of this three-part interview we discuss:

John and Mark’s father-son bond and how their relationship shapes their business
Anecdotes of John’s problem-solving ability, his adventurous spirit, and natural entrepreneurialism
The origin story of John’s Crazy Socks. A multi-billion-dollar social enterprise based on spreading happiness.
Being born with down syndrome: John’s medical issues and an unfortunate point of view
How life becomes so much easier when you just accepted that you’re an idiot
Why start a business and why socks? Recognizing the limited opportunities people of differing abilities face and shifting the culture.
Authenticity in business: Embracing who you are, doing what you love, and reaping the rewards
The surprising emotional response to John’s Crazy Socks
Embracing imperfection and experimenting with your business: How overplanning kills productivity and efficiency
The biggest secret to success: starting small and learning as you go.
Why socks?
Why Down Syndrome doesn't define John or others with differing abilities..
John’s fashion style, why he and Mark could never be classmates, and how John reacts to being noticed on the street.
The beauty of social enterprise: Using John’s Crazy Socks as a platform for change

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Looking for a daily dose of happiness? Follow John's Crazy Socks on social media and get 10% off your next order of crazy socks using our promo code PETER22.

Website: https://johnscrazysocks.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/johnscrazysocks

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JohnsCrazySocks

LinkedIn: MXC https://www.linkedin.com/in/mxcronin/

LinkedIn: JCS: https://www.linkedin.com/company/11171456/admin/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnscrazysocks/

YouTube: https://w w w.youtube.com/c/Johnscrazysocks/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@johnscrazysocks

Enjoy part 1 of our interview with John and Mark Cronin of John's Crazy Socks

*Transcripts may contain a few typos. With interviews ranging from 1-2 hours, it can be difficult to catch minor errors.

Peter Kersting: Hello, and welcome to Alone with Peter, a podcast for entrepreneurs, artists, digital nomads, and people seeking personal growth. Today, I am joined by two very special guests, John and mark Cronin of John's crazy socks. John and his dad, Mark Cronin are the co-founders of John's crazy socks, a social enterprise with a mission to spread happiness. In five years, they bootstrapped their startup into the world's largest sock store with multimillion dollar sales in 88 nations. John and Mark are fierce advocates for the rights of the differently abled and have testified twice before us Congress and spoken at the United nations and recorded two TEDx talks.

Peter Kersting: This father-son duo has addressed audiences across the US, Canada and Mexico. And I'm so excited to have them on Alone with Peter today to talk about their origin story and their entrepreneurial journey.

Mark Cronin: Peter, we are excited to be here.

John Cronin: Thank you, Peter. I really appreciate

Mark Cronin: This is great. We've been looking forward to this conversation.

John Cronin: Me too.

Peter Kersting: Yeah, I'm I'm I'm glad cuz I'm excited just watching you guys talk to each other. I love your father's son bond and I thought that'd be a great place to start this conversation. So I like to do backstory because it gives us some perspective, and helps us really understand where you come from and how you've been able to accomplish what you've done. And, and so I feel like there's a lot we can learn from you too. And I wanted to start with your relationship. So maybe you could describe to us what that is like for you too.

Mark Cronin: Well, we could talk about the business thing, but that's been a natural growth of our relationship we've spent, we've been through a lot together. Right, right. Um, and we've spent a lot of time together and just enjoying each other's company. And John here, I wo...

This episode of Alone with Peter is brought to you by Sagebrush Coffee Roastery

John's Crazy Socks

Follow us on Instagram!

Get 10% off your next sock order with promo code PETER22

Enjoy part 1 of our interview with John and Mark Cronin of John's Crazy Socks