Becoming the "King of Pops" with Nick Carse

Small Business Matters

King of Pops started as a conversation that three brothers were having on an epic trip through Central America. Over the years, that conversation turned into a dream and when the youngest of the three, Steven, was laid off from his corporate job during the Great Recession – that dream became a reality. A few months later, Steven’s brother Nick left his job as a lawyer to become the second employee. The brothers went from layoffs and courtrooms to making people happy. The first King of Pops sale took place out of a Mexican paleta pushcart on a neighborhood street corner in Atlanta in 2010. Today, King of Pops continues to sell their sweet treats out of pushcarts but they’ve also expanded into catering, fundraising, and wholesale. Created in response to the pandemic's impact on business, their Neighborhood Partner program helps folks start their own King of Pops biz in their communities. Over the past 10 years, the entrepreneurs took advantage of opportunities that led to additional ventures: King of Pups (pops for man’s best friend), King of Crops (a farm for growing ingredients for pops), and Food10 (a regional food distribution company). Show Notes: In this episode, King of Pops Co-founder Nick Carse stops by to talk about Atlanta’s favorite popsicles. Nick shares his success story with Tim and Taylor including leaving a career in law behind to start a business, what it’s like working with family, having the courage to pivot, building a brand, and making people happy. In this Episode: • What Matters to Small Business [0:01:42] • Getting Started [0:02:57] • A Pandemic Pivot [0:06:33] • Shifting from Employees to Resellers [0:09:51] • It's All in the Family [0:12:01] • Realizing Success [0:15:23] • Adopting EOS [0:17:25] • Expanding Operations [0:20:04] • Distribution in the Future [0:24:57] • Building the Brand [0:26:17] • Rapid Fire [0:29:44] • Contact Information [0:33:04] • Takeaways [0:34:02] • SBM Announcements [0:35:12]