Al Schmeling Still Selling at 72
Al Schmeling grew up on a farm in Iowa. He agreed to continue to help his dad farm for two years after graduating high school until his dad reached retirement age. While farming he took a class in selling at the local community college and decided he wanted to become a salesman.
He moved to Arizona to attend Arizona State University. While there he took a part-time job selling waterless cookware door to door, with some success. His boss also had a franchise as a marketing representative for a gift-wrapping paper company. The boss hired Al for that job, which began what would be Al’s lifetime career as a manufacturer’s representative marketing to retail stores. When his boss dropped a tableware line, the manufacturer reached out to Al to offer him the line, and he established his own business. Since most of that business was in Colorado, Al moved from Arizona to Colorado in 1975.
Last year Al was approached by two individuals interested in taking over his rep business. One decided to pursue another opportunity. The other began working with him last August. Al intends to begin an ownership transition to this person later this year. Al hopes to reduce out-of-town travel, which can be taken over by the new owner, and to stay home more. In the process of training his future successor, Al has developed a deeper appreciation of the day-to-day complexity of handling all the details of his business. He enjoys the developing role of advisor to the future owner.
Al still enjoys sales. Looking ahead, he would like to continue to work with local customers, and perhaps continue with long-distance customers over Zoom. He has worked with many customers for many years. They are friends as much as customers. He would like to volunteer more at his church or in the community.
“I’ve done some planning about the future, but usually the future comes to me. I have finally come to realize I have been blessed to be a salesman. It’s hard to believe I’ve been doing it for 52 years. It’s constantly changing, from one kind of business to another. Now it’s a kitchen business. I love cooking. It’s fun to represent some companies that make great tools for the kitchen. There is always something new to learn. As long as we can keep doing it, it won’t end until end of life care.”
Al is an example of the middle road in retirement. Rather than all or nothing, 100% retirement or 100% working the way he always has, he is taking a middle path of modification and transition, to build in resilience and ability to tweak his career as he ages.
Do you know someone working or volunteering past age 70? I would love to hear their story.
russ@strategicexit.com
