We often look at people with differing abilities (a term we prefer over 'disabilities') and focus on what society needs to do for them. John and Mark X. Cronin, a father-son business team, show that we have the question backwards. We should be asking how people with differing abilities can help us. John, who has Down Syndrome, and his father Mark use their personal and entrepreneurial story to show what is possible and how society not only benefits from, but also needs the help of people with differing abilities. John Cronin is an entrepreneur who happens to have Down syndrome. John is the co-founder and Chief Happiness Officer of John’s Crazy Socks which has a mission to spread happiness and show what people with differing abilities can achieve.
As a business leader, John has created a business where more than half the employees have a differing ability. John’s Crazy Socks has shipped over 360,000 orders to more than 85 different countries and earned over 27,000 5-star online reviews. John was the first person with Down syndrome to be named an EY Entrepreneur of the Year.
John is a fierce advocate for people of differing abilities and has testified twice before the U.S. Congress and spoken at the United Nations. Speaking engagements that John performs with his father and co-founder Mark have taken them across Canada, the U.S. and Mexico and they are part of the U.S. State Department’s Speakers Bureau.
Mark X. Cronin is the co-founder, along with his son John, of John’s Crazy Socks, a social enterprise with a mission to spread happiness. His leadership has demonstrated that pursuing social goals – demonstrating what people with differing abilities can achieve and giving back – makes for good business.
Mark advocates for the rights of differently abled people. His advocacy work has seen Mark testify before Congress twice, speak at the UN and make numerous trips to Capitol Hill. Mark is a sought-after speaker having spoken at events across the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Mark is part of the U.S. State Department’s Speakers’ Bureau.
He has been named an EY Entrepreneur of the Year and is a member of the CEO Commission on Disability Employment and a Board member for the Long Island Chapter of the Entrepreneurs Organization. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at [ Ссылка ]
