Creative Workforce Solutions Conference: Meet Mark Cronin of John's Crazy Socks
A virtual conference to promote special needs focused entrepreneurship and social enterprises.
John and Mark X. Cronin are the father-son team that founded John’s Crazy Socks. John is an entrepreneur who just happens to have Down Syndrome. John’s Crazy Socks is an internationally recognized social enterprise with a mission to spread happiness and show what people with differing abilities can do. Their mission infuses all aspects of their business. More than half their employees have a differing ability. Their Giving Back Program starts with a 5 percent pledge of profits to the Special Olympics and has raised over $375,000 for their charity partners. They have attracted over 27,000 online five star reviews. John’s Crazy Socks has over 230,000 Facebook followers and 50,000 Instagram followers and have shipped 250,000 orders to over 80 countries. You may know them for being named EY Entrepreneurs of the Year or testifying before Congress or speaking at the UN. You may know them because John became “Sock Buddies” with President George H.W. Bush. Or you may know them for having grown a bootstrapped start up to a $5 million dollar business in less than three years. You will love their socks, but the socks are just the physical manifestation of the happiness they share.
What will I learn during this presentation?
We will address four main topics in our presentation:
How a child born with Down syndrome could grow up to change the world
How an entrepreneur with Down syndrome and his father could take a dream and turn it into a million dollar business
Creating a social enterprise: how making a difference makes a difference in your business
The benefits of a unified work place where people with differing abilities and neuro-typicals work side-by-side
Who should attend?
This presentation will appeal to a wide audience, including:
Self-advocates and their families
Entrepreneurs looking to start of scale a business
Employers looking to employ people with differing abilities
