At Abilities Rising, our mission is simple: create more joy in the world and show what people with differing abilities can do. We believe people with differing abilities are capable, talented, and ready to contribute — they just need someone to open the door.
Our story begins with John Cronin. John has Down syndrome, and when he entered his last year of school, he ran into a wall that too many families know well: meaningful employment was almost impossible to find. Rather than accept that answer, John came to his father, Mark, with an idea: let’s go into business together.
John suggested they sell socks. John had always loved wearing crazy, colorful socks, and in December 2016, John’s Crazy Socks opened its doors. In its first two weeks, the fledgling company shipped 452 orders. They knew they were onto something.
They started with a simple mission: spread happiness through socks. Over time, they expanded that mission to include hiring people with differing abilities and showing the world what they can do.
What followed exceeded anything they imagined. John’s Crazy Socks has since shipped over 500,000 packages to 94 countries, earned more than 33,000 five-star reviews, and donated more than $900,000 to charity partners including Special Olympics. More than half of the jobs the company created went to people with differing abilities. John and Mark have testified before Congress, spoken at the United Nations, and told their story to audiences across North America — always making the same point: hiring people with differing abilities is not charity, it is good business.
The experience with John’s Crazy Socks became the foundation for Abilities Rising. We took what we learned building John’s Crazy Socks — that people with differing abilities can be a company’s greatest strength — and built an entire ecosystem around it.
We have moved beyond simply hiring people with differing abilities to showcasing products made by people with differing abilities. Giving a voice to those who are often not heard. Helping people get jobs or start businesses.
Each pillar operates as its own business, but they all share one mission: more joy, and proof of what’s possible.
John Cronin is an entrepreneur, advocate, Special Olympics athlete, and the driving force behind Abilities Rising. When he finished school and couldn’t find meaningful work, John brought his father a proposal that became John’s Crazy Socks and, eventually, Abilities Rising. John now serves as President, CEO, and majority owner of the Abilities Rising ventures. He is a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and the first person with Down syndrome to receive the EY Entrepreneur of the Year award. He is an ambassador for the National Down Syndrome Society and competes as a Special Olympics athlete in soccer, basketball, snowshoeing, bocce, and track and field. On stage and off, John lives by one motto:
“Follow your heart, follow your dreams, work hard, show what you can do.”
Mark X. Cronin is an entrepreneur, advocate, and co-founder and COO of Abilities Rising, alongside his son John. Before starting John’s Crazy Socks, Mark worked for a member of Congress, organized political campaigns, and taught school. He then developed a career in health care, leading Medicaid Health Care Services in New York City and leading a series of health care consulting and management firms focused on improving health care for the poor. He has also taught at Columbia University and NYU and published both fiction and non-fiction works. Mark is an EY Entrepreneur of the Year and two-time TEDx speaker who has addressed Congress and the United Nations on inclusive hiring. He serves on the Suffolk County Workforce Development Board and the CEO Commission on Disability Employment.
Mark’s core belief: people are far more capable than we give them credit for, and self-employment and inclusive hiring are some of the clearest ways to prove it.
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