John and Mark X. Cronin built John’s Crazy Socks as a social enterprise with a mission to spread happiness. They recently appeared on the Scaling Mountains Podcast with Kyle Sullivan to discuss the power of a purpose driven business.
Mark shared, “There must be a gazillion companies selling socks and if all you do is sell socks, what can you say? But our mission to spread happiness, our commitment to show what people with differing abilities, that differentiates us, that helps us stand out in a crowded marketplace.”
Mark added, “We have built the world’s largest sock store offering more choices than anyone else, but at the end of the day we’re not really a sock store. The socks become the physical manifestation for our mission and story.”
The Power of the Purpose Driven Business
In this podcast interview, Kyle probed to understand how their purpose driven business leads to customer loyalty and sustainable revenue.
“We don’t go chasing transactions, we want to build relationships with our customers, we want to build a community,” said Mark. “One of our five pillars is to make it personal and that infuses all aspects of our business: how we answer the phone, creating a two-year guarantee and the packages we send every customer.”
“We want our customers to know that we love them,” said John. Every package gets a thank you note from me and some candy. And the packing slip has the picture and name of the person who picked the order,”
“We are not simply sending you socks, we’re sending you a package of happiness,” said Mark.
In this interview, John and Mark share their origin story, a business born out of John’s inability to find meaningful work. They share their five pillars and the unified workplace they have created where people with differing abilities work side by side with neuro-typicals.
The Scaling Mountains Podcast
Kyle Sulivan explains his podcast by saying “everyone has mountains in life. Many thrive with the challenges ahead of them, others dread the thought of pushing forward another step. What makes the difference and how can you scale with confidence and hope? Whether your journey takes a day or a lifetime, just know there are others with you on the trail. On this show, we will be interviewing guests from all walks of life who climb mountains, figuratively speaking. Stories of adventure from top entrepreneurs, faith-leaders, pro athletes, world travelers, musicians, photographers, spouses, parents, and even kids. Come join me in the quest for the Summit . . .”
Kyle called this episode: The Power of Happiness: Spreading Positivity Through Purpose-Driven Business with John and Mark Cronin. You can find the Scaling Mountains podcast on all the usual podcast platforms. Here is a link to the podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2007244/13091099
Here is the link to the YouTube video version of the interview: https://youtu.be/2SJGmlJUbX4
John and Mark X. Cronin Appearing on Podcasts
John and Mark have appeared on more than 100 podcasts as they carry out their mission to spread happiness and show what people with differing abilities can do. You can find links to many of those podcast appearances here.
“Podcasts interviews allow us to connect with more people and share our story,” said Mark.
In fact, the father-son team have written a chapter for the book Podmatch Guest Mastery: A Guide for Appearing as Guest on a Podcast
If you are interested in having John and Mark appear on your podcast, reach out to them at podcast@johnscrazysocks.com.
About John’s Crazy Socks
John’s Crazy Socks was inspired by John Lee Cronin, a young man with Down syndrome, and his love of colorful and fun socks—what he calls his “crazy socks.” He and his father, Mark X. Cronin, started the company as a social enterprise with a mission of Spreading Happiness™. With more than 4,000 socks, John’s Crazy Socks is now the world’s largest sock store. More than half their employees have a differing ability, and their Giving Back program has raised over $630,000 for charity partners like the Special Olympics, the National Down Syndrome Society, and the Autism Society of America. Most of all, they are Spreading Happiness™.
For more information about John’s Crazy Socks, visit our webpage, Facebook page, Instagram account, TikTok or YouTube channel. You can also contact us at 631-760-5625 or via email at service@johnscrazysocks.com.
