John Cronin, a 28-year-old entrepreneur with Down Syndrome, started John's Crazy Socks in 2016. The Farmingdale, New York-based company now sells more than 4,000 different types of socks and has reached a major milestone: over two million orders have been fulfilled, according to a report published on Wednesday BY New York Post.
The socks on offer range from focused on holidays THE Harry Potter branded. There are also special designs that raise awareness Down's syndrome AND autismand gift packages, such as a dog rescue gift for women featuring three different pairs of dog-themed socks.
Cronin, his parents Mark and Carol and his older brother Jamie run the business together. It has grown to become the largest hosiery company in the world, according to the Post.
Cronin co-founded the company with the mission of “spreading happiness.” He writes a thank you note and includes two free candies with every order. At the beginning of the company's journey, he would even deliver orders to customers. Over the past eight years, John's Crazy Socks has donated nearly $800,000 to charities, including the Special Olympics.
“Thank you to our customers,” Cronin said, per the New York Post. “Thank you very much for helping my company.”
How John's Crazy Socks Began
Mark Cronin explained in a interview with Canvas Rebel last week that the business started when John was exploring his options after high school.
“John couldn't find anything that excited him,” Mark said. “It's an unfortunate reality that there aren't enough good options for differently-abled people.”
John wanted to go into business with his father and had the idea to sell socks. The father-son duo decided to build a website, take inventory and create a Facebook page with some promotional videos featuring John. The first day they opened their virtual storefront, December 9, 2016, they received 42 orders. In the next two weeks, they received 452 orders.
“We didn't know how fast it would grow, we didn't know how much it would grow, but we knew we could make this business work,” Mark said.
John's Crazy Socks was built on five pillars: inspiration, giving, fun products, making it personal and creating a great place to work.
“We may not be outsold by Target and Walmart, at least not yet, but we have more choices than anyone else,” Mark said. In addition, the company employs 34 people, 22 of whom are differently abled.
According to US Bureau of Labor Statisticsonly 22.5% of disabled people were employed last year.
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