39 Creating a platform for positive change… with John’s Crazy Socks

Welcome back for part two of our podcast interview with father-son duo John and Mark Cronin. In the previous episode, we explored the origin story of John’s Crazy Socks a multi-million dollar social enterprise with a mission to spread happiness. We talked about the incredible emotional response people have had to their business and we started to see how selling socks has become a platform for change. 

Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Listen on Stitcher Listen on Podchaser Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Listen on Stitcher Listen on Podchaser This episode of Alone with Peter is brought to you by Sagebrush Coffee

Sagebrush is an online coffee roastery with a wide variety of single-origin coffees you can order from the comfort of your home knowing that your coffee is so fresh, it isn’t roasted until after you order.

If you’re interested in learning more about the world of coffee, Sagebrush is a great place to start. You can find their website online at Sagebrushcoffee.com and for a limited time from now until August, you can save 10% on your next order of coffee beans by visiting sagebrushcoffee.com/awp10 or by using the promo code awp10 at checkout.

38 Spreading Happiness: The Origin Story of John's Crazy Socks

If you want to explore the previous episode or others in the archive, head on over to peterkersting.com/podcast/38. You can check out transcripts for different episodes, links to content mentioned and guests featured in the podcast, as well as stream episodes in their entirety. 

In today’s episode, we’re continuing the conversation around business as a force for good. We’ll explore how John’s Crazy Socks has used their platform to testify before congress, educate other businesses on the benefits of hiring the differently-abled and so much more. 

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Get 10% off your next sock order with promo code PETER22

Looking for your daily dose of happiness? Follow John's Crazy Socks on social media and get 10% off your next order of crazy socks using our promo code PETER22.

Website: https://johnscrazysocks.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/johnscrazysocks

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JohnsCrazySocks

LinkedIn: MXC  https://www.linkedin.com/in/mxcronin/

LinkedIn: JCS: https://www.linkedin.com/company/11171456/admin/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnscrazysocks/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Johnscrazysocks/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@johnscrazysocks

Enjoy part 2 of our interview with John and Mark Cronin of John's Crazy Socks

*Transcripts may contain a few typos. With interviews ranging from 1-2 hours, it can be difficult to catch minor errors.

39 Creating a platform for positive change... with John's Crazy Socks

Peter Kersting: Welcome to Alone With Peter. I'm your host, and on this podcast, you're going to hear interviews with entrepreneurs, artists, digital nomads, and people seeking personal growth. We'll dive deep into what set them on their journey, where they are now, and how their story can impact you, including any helpful insights if you aspire to take a similar leap of faith, no matter where you are on the journey. Thank you for spending some quality time Alone With Peter.

Peter Kersting: This episode of Alone With Peter is brought to you by Sagebrush Coffee Roastery. There's nothing quite like a good cup of coffee. That's why I've always made it a point when traveling to try out the local cuisine and find the best coffee shops. From the Instagrammable coffee of East Asia to the classic cafes of Western Europe, I've tried a lot of coffee, and let me tell you something. Nothing has quite hit the spot like Sagebrush coffee.

Peter Kersting: Sagebrush is an online coffee roastery with a wide variety of single-origin coffees. You can order from the comfort of your home knowing that your coffee is so fresh it isn't roasted until after you order, but what makes Sagebrush so special is their dedication to the farmers and producers who make the coffee. Sagebrush's goal on a fundamental level is to allow the hard work of those producers to shine and to be rewarded for it. If you're interested in the process of coffee, while becoming a more conscious consumer, Sagebrush is a gold mine of information.

Peter Kersting: Along with their selection of coffee beans to purchase, Sagebrush has an extensive archive of free educational blog posts that are built into their website to help shed more light on the world of the coffee industry and how your purchasing power impacts that world. You'll learn the history of specific countries of origin, see breakdowns of various coffee terminology and find quick blurbs about family business updates. If you're interested in learning more about the world of coffee, Sagebrush is a great place to start. You can find their website online at sagebrushcoffee.com. For a limited time from now until August, you can save 10% on your next order of coffee beans by visiting sagebrushcoffee.com/awp10 or by using the promo code AWP10 at checkout.

Speaker 2: (singing) Alone With Peter.

Peter Kersting: Welcome back for Part 2 of our podcast interview with father-son duo, John and Mark Cronin. In the previous episode, we explored the origin story of John's Crazy Socks, a multimillion-dollar social enterprise with a mission to spread happiness. We talked about the incredible emotional response people have had to their business, and we started to see how selling socks has become a platform for change. If you want to explore the previous episode or others in the archive, head on over to peterkersting.com/podcast/38. You can check out transcripts for different episodes, links to content mentioned, and guests featured in the podcast, as well as stream episodes in their entirety.

Peter Kersting: In today's episode, we're continuing the conversation around business as a force for good. We'll explore how John's Crazy Socks has used their platform to testify before Congress, educate other businesses around the benefits of hiring the differently-abled and so much more.

Peter Kersting: You guys have testified in Congress. You've done TEDx talks. Can you speak to that part of it? What is it that you're trying to change in the world?

Mark Cronin: It's based on show, don't tell. We want to share our experience, so we'll tell you it's about showing what's possible. More broadly defined, it's what entrepreneurs can do and the positive impact. We want to share the power of social enterprises and more narrowly, it's we want to show what people with different abilities can do, and so we look for all sorts of ways of doing that. That's not what we expected to do when we started.

Mark Cronin: When we started, it was John needed something meaningful to do. For us to do it, it would have to produce income. I remember the first time someone asked us to speak out of town. An event organizer called us up and wanted us to fly to Cleveland to speak at a fundraising event. We said, "Oh. Well, sure." She said, "Okay. What are your fees?" I said, "Fees, huh? Well, you're going to have to pay for our travel." She says, "Yes, of course we will, but what are your speaker fees?" "Speaker fees?"

John Cronin: Why don't you give us a beer?

Mark Cronin: I normally got to buy somebody a beer to get them to listen to me, but here's an example of what the platform allows us to do and then the obligation it creates. So you've mentioned that we've testified now before Congress, and we've been down there other times. That's one thing. Elected officials will take our calls and listen to us, so because of that, it's important that we advocate for certain legislative changes and policy changes to advance the rights of people with different abilities.

Mark Cronin: We're down there one day. A customer from Houston calls our office and says, "My mom works on Capitol Hill, and she's a big fan of John's, and I see that Mark and John are down on Capitol Hill. Do you think my mother could meet them?" Our colleague said, "Sure. Here's Mark's cell phone number. Text him Mom's contact information." Well, who was mom?

John Cronin: Nancy Pelosi.

Mark Cronin: Nancy Pelosi, so we get an audience with Nancy Pelosi. One thing that is unfortunate about where we're at today, we so vilify many of our elected officials or people we oppose. In the past week, there were people voting in favor of the Supreme Court Justice and opponents saying, "Well, therefore they support pedophiles." We're like, "Come on now, what are we doing?" That's the world we live in, but here we go meet Nancy Pelosi. Forget wherever you are in the political spectrum. Nancy Pelosi is an 80-year-old Italian grandmother. Let's start there, and she sees John, and she's so warm and lovely towards him and took out pictures of socks that she had given former President George H.W. Bush because John had somewhat famously become sock buddies with the former President, so it was a nice exchange, right?

John Cronin: Yeah.

Mark Cronin: You guys are talking and taking pictures, but now that we have this opportunity, we have to make use of it, so it's like, "Well, Ms. Pelosi, now that we're done with the pictures, we need to talk about eliminating the sub-minimum wage that allows upwards of 400,000 people with disability to be paid as little as five cents an hour in our country."

Peter Kersting: Holy cow.

Mark Cronin: Because if we get that opportunity, you have to make use of it, so yes, the business has evolved where you're willing to have us on the podcast, where we do a lot of speaking engagements, where we are able to meet with elected officials. That gives us an opportunity to further our mission, to show what's possible, and to show what people with different abilities can do.

Peter Kersting: Well, I appreciate a couple things in what you just said, and I'd like to unpack them a little if that's okay. First, something that I think is dearly missing in our society right now is to treat every single person you meet with dignity and respect, no matter what your relationship is to them, so you're right. In that sense, it's become so polarized. It doesn't matter if that person is treating you well. It doesn't matter if you agree with what they're doing or not. You can advocate against what they stand for even and still treat that person with dignity and respect, so that's very important.

Peter Kersting: I also appreciate that there's so much negativity in the world. Not that you ignore it and pretend it away, but to focus on the positives the way that you are creating common ground with people from across the spectrum. You're also through your actions showing what people with differing abilities can do, but there's not a louder statement you can make than being a multimillionaire sock tycoon, John. Someone can't look at you and say, "Oh