About

Hi, I’m
Steve Carse.

I’m the co-founder of King of Pops, one of Atlanta’s best-loved brands. I got laid off in the Great Recession. My brother Nick didn’t, but he came along anyway, and in 2010 we started King of Pops together. The whole idea had been kicking around between me and my brothers Nick and Ashley for years, born on trips through Central America.

What began as a single cart on the corner of N. Highland and Freedom Parkway has become the largest cart-based business in the U.S. and a roughly $10M company that sells not just ice pops but Christmas trees, cocktails (we call them pop-tails), farm produce, and a franchise program for would-be cartrepreneurs. I call the whole collection of businesses the Rainbow Umbrella.

Along the way I’ve been named one of the AJC’s Most Admired CEOs (2017), Georgia Trend’s 40 Under 40 (2012), and have given keynotes at TEDxAtlanta, Cox Enterprises, LexisNexis, Basecamp, and dozens of other places. In April 2025, Matt Holt Books published my first book, Work Is Fun.

Mostly though, I’m a dad, a hot dog/cotton candy/beer/ice pop slinger, and a serial entrepreneur trying his best to slow down and realize these are the good ol’ days.