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John Cronin is a " natural entrepreneur ," his father shared . He wanted to create a job for himself after struggling to find something after graduating from school due to the lack of options for people with Down syndrome . He came up with a handful of ideas that he shared with his father , one of which included a food truck . John eventually proposed starting a crazy sock company based on his feeling that socks are fun , creative , colorful , and an item that he has always loved . John ' s enthusiasm and passion were evident , and Mark loved the idea . The two immediately began planning as they both knew this was it ; this was what they were going to build .
As this was John ' s creation , the name was simple to choose , " John ' s Crazy Socks ," named after John Cronin . John and Mark brainstormed ideas and began their business in 2016 . It was an unconventional start , as they had no investors , but instead , John and his father built their own website , created a Facebook page , recorded videos on their phones , and bought other companies ' socks . Since the onset , their website has sold men ' s , women ' s , and children ' s socks .
Challenges arose quickly as suppliers were hesitant to sell to the team being that they had no prior customer base . They faced a tremendous dilemma ; they needed socks in order to get customers . Together , they remain focused and determined and successfully secured some inventory that led to a customer following , allowing them to increase their orders .
On the first day from their temporary office space in Huntington , Long Island , where their business is based , the father-son duo already had 42 orders placed from friends and neighbors . As the orders were from those close in proximity , at-home deliveries were the method of shipping . Each customer received a neatly wrapped red box with their socks inside . But this was not the only item in the box . Each box contained a personal touch , a handwritten note from John Cronin , and Hershey kisses added to every order .
The responses were overwhelming as the neighborhood quickly took to John ' s Crazy Socks . People reposted videos , sock orders increased , and the business rapidly grew to $ 13,000 in revenue in only two weeks .
In addition to John ' s creative side , he enjoys sports and has been an active part of the Special Olympics for the last 21 years , beginning early in his youth . He has played a variety of sports , including soccer , and feels that he has learned more than just skills . " I learned teamwork and sportsmanship . I had to be a leader ," John Cronin said .
As the Special Olympics means so much to John and his family , they decided from the beginning that they would donate 5 % of all their earnings . John ’ s father , Mark Cronin , said , " Without the Special Olympics , there ' d be no John ' s Crazy Socks because of all that he ' s learned and benefited from being a part of it ." Over the years , the team has chosen to donate to several other organizations as well .
Today , with more than 4,000 sock options and growth each day , John ' s Crazy Socks brings in several million dollars in revenue . They have proudly shipped over 380,000 packages worldwide and raised over half a million dollars for their charity partners . As their customer ' s needs are always at the forefront of their work , they have received over 27,000 five-star reviews .