Work Is Fun: Seven Ways a Successful Ice Pop Company Makes Work Meaningful and How You Can Too

by Steve Carse

The leader of one of Atlanta’s best-loved brands shares seven ways to actually enjoy your job—and how doing so will enhance not only your career but also your life.

Too many of us go about our work solely to make money to serve our “real” lives after the workday ends. But what if we could make our work fun instead, not by switching careers or seeking a raise, but by shifting our mindset and incorporating seven simple but game-changing principles into our workplaces?

In Work Is Fun, Steven Carse, Cofounder of the King of Pops hand-crafted ice pop brand, shares his story of how optimizing daily tasks for enjoyment and job satisfaction, including measuring success outside of mere monetary terms, has transformed Carse’s life, community, and business.

Full of simple, practical insights and examples from Carse’s inspiring story, Work Is Fun will challenge you to completely rethink how you approach work, teaching you how to have fun
Living out a powerful story Finding freedom in your job Taking pride in your work Slowing down and enjoying the present Incorporating play into your workplace Creating a strong team spirit Finding balance across changing business cycles

The truth is that you can be happy at work, and Carse’s company has proven that it makes good business sense, too. Young professionals, leaders, and entrepreneurs of all kinds will find encouragement and inspiration in Carse’s story to transform every area of their lives—and have fun while doing it.

240 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 1, 2025

Reviews

[lexactuallyreads [surviving off vibes ftm] · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Although I personally enjoy my work quite a bit, I know this is not the case for each member of the King Of Pops team all the time. We owe it to them to do better. We want more people to take ownership of their work lives and, if we can help it, have a good time.”

Work is Fun by Steve Carse

“It’s really pretty simple: love why you do, and that love will be returned tenfold.”

Thank you, Netgalley & Brilliance Audio for the Advanced Listener's Copy of the audiobook!
This guy?! This is what I would recommend to anyone in a management position or someone who is looking to utilize every tool in their arsenal as a forward-facing business owner. I might even gift my managers one just for the fun of it. I had never heard of King of Pops prior to this, most likely due to geographical distance, but I'll be on the lookout for them now. Steve has kind of hit the motherload of wealth here - not wealth by the monetary standard, but fulfillment wealth. And to think that this all happened by chance, due him being laid off from his corporate job? Wow. Kind of incredible, its too bad this marketable success can't happen to everyone. (But I do believe in fate and chance encounters)

“There was always a new idea, and we were not afraid to try it. Whether or not the ideas come to fruition doesn’t matter. We will continue to push each other forward because that is what we have to do. We’re proud of what we do, we’re proud of what we make, we’re proud of who we work with, we’re proud of how we’ve grown.”

I thoroughly enjoyed the journey through their experiences and will be walking away with different perspectives, tools, and thoughts to live my best work life and possibly give me guidance as an entrepreneur. It should all be meaningful, right?

“The fun isn’t in the destination, it’s in the journey to get there. The story matters. As humans we crave the meaning that stories provide, real meaning. Meaning that can’t be distilled to a mission statement posted to break room wall.”

[Ariel Acar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Work Is Fun is a business and leadership book set to release on April 1 🎉

Steve Carse is the co-founder and CEO of King of Pops, an ice pop company based in the American south. He writes about 7 principles that can shape how you have fun at work:

🍓story
🍑patience
🍌ownership
🍋pride
🥝play
🍏teamwork
🫐tension

Steve tells us up front that by the end of this book we may determine our workplace is too toxic or we really do need a change, but “This book is not about the search for finding something else to work on. It’s about refining your approach to work.”

This really resonated with me. It’s true — if we’re not engaged in what we’re doing presently and don’t know our purpose in the company, leaving our roles to do the same thing somewhere else won’t make work more fun.

Maybe it’s the ice pops or Steve’s enthusiasm about business, but I found this book both useful and enjoyable! The narrator of the audiobook struck the perfect tone of being motivational but not cringey.

If you’re feeling stuck at work, this is a great read to change your mentality and get you back on track.

Thank you to NetGalley, Brilliance Publishing and Steve Carse for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m a big King of Pops fan. My family and I have been frequent customers through the years and I’ve worked with them to support events I organized. That said, I was of course intrigued when Steve started dripping snippets about his book on social media.

I’ve read several business and business-tangential philosophy books over the years. So, much of this is area I’ve tread in literature and in life. That said, I thought this was a well-organized handbook on how to make sure we’re enjoying what we do, which is especially important to me as a people leader in my organization. Leaning into “why?” and remembering that we are the arbiters of our destiny and happiness, is more than we typically care to admit and need to remind ourselves of more.

I also appreciated Steve’s candor about his own prior career choices. Even though he’s been successful, a younger him would have benefitted from the hindsight he realizes.

All-in-all, fun book, keep it handy, and remember to enjoy what you do. If the fun isn’t there, you can be the one to create it!

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you read one business book this year, make it Work is Fun! In Work Is Fun, Author and CEO Steve Carse sheds light on the ways managers and employees of all levels can and should make their work fun and meaningful. His book went past cliche ideals and spoke to actual actionable strategies to make this change in any job, at any point in your career. Carse is a captivating writing (his skills as a former journalist truly shine!) and I found myself unable to put this book down. This certainly ranks among my favorite business books such as Jim Collins' Good to Great and Joe Coulombe's Becoming Trader Joe. I recommend this book whether you are just starting your first job or you are an established CEO-- there are fantastic lessons for everyone in this book!

Thank you to Net Galley for this Advanced Copy (ARC). It is truly a stand out!

[Brendan Grech · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really great concepts on mindfulness, stoicism, and organizational culture that can be adopted at both the employer and employee level.