On February 28, 2017, HuffPost published “Veteran Entrepreneurs you should know in 2017,” a contributor piece by Dwayne D. Paro, a veteran empowerment coach, author and podcaster. Michael J. Penney was #10 on the list, as founder of Cigars and Sea Stories.
What the article said
Paro opened by saying the previous four years had seen “the rise of the vetrepreneurs,” warriors turned business owners with a drive most civilian owners only wish they had. The list ran to “22.6” entries. The final “.6” spot went to American Dream U, an organization rather than a person.
Michael’s entry read:
Penney, a Marine veteran, and marksman, has turned his experiences and connections into the Cigars and Sea Stories Podcast.
Dwayne D. Paro, HuffPost, February 2017
Paro named some of the show’s guests: John Lee Dumas, Rudy Reyes, Tim Jensen, Evan McMullin and Sam Meek. He called the podcast a great place to hear their stories from the service, along with their transitions and new business ventures.
The rest of the top ten shows the company Michael was keeping:
- Daniel Alarik, Grunt Style and Alpha Outpost
- Travis McVey, Heroes Vodka
- Jas Boothe, Discharged and Final Salute, Inc.
- Jeremy Knauff, Spartan Media
- Brandon Buttrey, Counterstrike Coffee
- Donny O’Malley, Vet TV
- Daniel Eric, Veteran Syndicate Radio
- Greg Jumes, Victor App
- Eric L. Mitchell, LifeFlip Media
Why it mattered then
By early 2017 the veteran business world had its own media scene of podcasts, apparel brands and online shows, and lists like this one helped people find it. Landing in the top ten next to Grunt Style and Vet TV put a two-year-old podcast alongside some of the best-known veteran brands of the time.
The entry also shows how people saw his role then. He was the connector. The show’s value was in the guests he could bring to the microphone.
Looking back
Several names on this list came back into Michael’s story. Later in 2017 Cigars and Sea Stories recorded with Daniel Alarik and Tim Jensen of Grunt Style. In 2018 Michael was cast as the voice of Axel in Jas Boothe’s animated comedy Discharged, and he was a guest on Jeremy Knauff’s Digital Marketers Podcast. Paro himself had Michael on his own podcast that August.
This post is part of the From the Archive series, which collects Michael’s past media appearances in one place. See the full media archive.
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Marine veteran, TEDx speaker and author of the 5 Paragraph Business Plan. Bring him to your stage, wear the gear, or catch him live.