He finally listened to advice

King returned to Wisconsin in 1895, when he was 40 years old. For New England and New York, Gillette started working for the Baltimore Seal Company as a salesperson. Soon after Gillette joined the business, William Painter, the company's president, created a better stopper: a crown bottle cap that would crimp over a bottle top. Painter renamed the business Crown Cork and Seal Company once the stopper became the norm in the bottling sector.

Gillette and Painter were considered to be "kindred imaginative spirits" and to have a close personal and professional relationship. Gillette and Painter had a crucial chat in 1891 during which Painter urged him to start developing a product that would be thrown away after usage to keep customers coming back for more. Gillette gave it some thought. He said in retrospect that he grew fixated on Painter's statements. This story is considered one of the most interesting facts about King Gilette.