Michael J. Penney

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Veteran Nation 2022: Michael J. Penney of 5paragraph.com

On the evening of September 13, 2022, Michael J. Penney went live on Veteran Nation, the NRN+ original series. The episode was titled “Guest: Michael J. Penney founder of 5paragraph.com and TedX speaker.” The stream ran about an hour and 45 minutes.

About the show

The episode description introduces him and the hosts:

Marine Veteran Michael J. Penney joins us today. He’s the founder and chairman of 5paragraph.com

Veteran Nation episode description

Veteran Nation is an NRN+ Original Series that’s dedicated to helping veterans improve their lives, hosted by fellow veteran M.T. “Skipper” Arthur and TC Pearson.

Veteran Nation episode description

A return visit

This was Michael’s second time on the show. His first was in August 2020, in season 1, episode 3, when Arthur co-hosted with Michael “SGT” Bluemling, Jr. Two years later Arthur was back with a new co-host, and Michael’s title had changed too. In 2020 he was introduced as “Michael J. Penney of 5Paragraph.com.” In 2022 he was its founder and chairman.

The description also sends viewers to michaeljpenney.com and to his TEDx talk on YouTube.

Why it mattered then

Long-form shows like this one gave him room. At well over an hour and a half, this was one of his longest guest appearances, the kind of conversation that can move from service to business to the issues veterans deal with after they come home.

The stream began just after 8:00 PM Eastern and ran until about 9:45.

His service record: eight-plus years in Marine Corps infantry and three combat tours: two to Ramadi, Iraq, with 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines (2005-06 and 2007), and one to Kajaki and Sangin, Afghanistan, with 1st Battalion, 5th Marines in 2011, where he led a section of advisors. Between those tours he served at Quantico as a weapons instructor. He left the Corps as a Sergeant with an honorable discharge.

Looking back

Late 2022 was a busy time for Michael. Within two months of this episode he appeared on the Brett Davis Podcast in San Diego and did a five-hour livestream on Rumble, and in December 2022 he was on the cover of SHIFT magazine.

The show’s network, NRN, describes its programming as produced by a “dynamic community-based network” of everyday people and experienced reporters.

Watch on YouTube

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.

Work with Michael

Marine veteran, TEDx speaker and author of the 5 Paragraph Business Plan. Bring him to your stage, wear the gear, or catch him live.

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Life Transformation Radio: 5P Military Management Method (2020)

On November 12, 2020, Life Transformation Radio aired “5P Military Management Method For The Modern Workforce with Michael J. Penney.” The show originally ran on BlogTalkRadio. The episode runs just under an hour.

What the episode covered

The title introduced a new name for his work. By late 2020 the 5 Paragraph Business Plan had become the “5P Military Management Method For The Modern Workforce,” a method for running a team day to day, not only for writing a plan.

The episode notes describe his role at the time:

He currently works as Chief Advisor at 5Paragraph.com, working with business leaders around the globe, calling upon his military and entrepreneurial experiences to assess, train, advise, and assist businesses in the implementation of the 5P Military Management Method For The Modern Workforce.

Life Transformation Radio episode notes

His service record: eight-plus years in Marine Corps infantry and three combat tours: two to Ramadi, Iraq, with 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines (2005-06 and 2007), and one to Kajaki and Sangin, Afghanistan, with 1st Battalion, 5th Marines in 2011, where he led a section of advisors. Between those tours he served at Quantico as a weapons instructor. He left the Corps as a Sergeant with an honorable discharge.

The notes also mention his March 2016 TEDxRaleigh talk, “What’s Your IED: How to Add Value During Life’s Explosive Situations,” which they say “has cultivated many wonderful relationships between veterans and business leaders.”

Why it mattered then

The notes describe the 5P method as an action-oriented business management tool “focused on business creation, growth, and long-term sustainability.” Calling it a management method, not just a plan, reflected what he was hearing from business leaders: the hard part is not writing the plan, it is getting a team to carry it out.

The military answer to that problem is the operations order. Everyone gets the same briefing in the same format, so everyone knows the mission, their part in it and who to talk to. That is what “for the modern workforce” was meant to bring to a civilian team.

Where to find it

BlogTalkRadio, where the show first aired, has shut down, and the original episode page no longer loads. The YouTube copy above is still up.

The episode notes link to his 5 Paragraph Facebook page and his LinkedIn profile.

Watch on YouTube

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.

Work with Michael

Marine veteran, TEDx speaker and author of the 5 Paragraph Business Plan. Bring him to your stage, wear the gear, or catch him live.

Book Michael to Speak
Shop the MJP Store
Get the 5 Paragraph Business Plan
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A New Direction: Your Business Plan Is a Military Mission (2020)

On October 14, 2020, Jay Izso released “Your Business Plan is a Military Mission – Michael Penney” on his podcast, A New Direction. The episode runs a little over an hour, at 1:05:44.

The premise

Izso opened the episode notes with a scenario. You are in the middle of a war, facing an enemy that wants to take everything from you. You would not just wake up one morning and figure it out as you go. You would ask what you need, what the enemy has, what the conditions are, and what your assets are. Then he turned it around:

And that is the way we should be thinking about our business. Shouldn’t we treat our business and business plan the same way?

Jay Izso, A New Direction episode notes

What the episode covered

Izso introduced Michael as a combat Marine veteran and the author and creator of the 5 Paragraph Business Plan, and wrote that Michael “doesn’t just believe so…he is convicted by it!”

The most surprising idea in the notes is how the plan defines the enemy:

In his 5 Paragraph Business Plan you will learn that your enemy is not your competition, it is not people, your enemy is the NEED your potential customers are hoping you will fulfill in your business and business plan.

A New Direction episode notes

They also talked about people. As you build your plan, Izso wrote, you may find that you do not have the right people to help you complete the mission.

Why it mattered then

The “enemy is the need” idea is the most distinctive part of the 5 Paragraph approach. It moves the focus away from beating competitors and toward serving customers. In a military order, the situation paragraph starts with the enemy. In Michael’s version, it starts with what the customer needs.

Izso, a business coach and speaker, closed the notes with the goal every owner shares: to be able to say “MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!”

Looking back

The episode page is still up with a working player, six years later.

His service record: eight-plus years in Marine Corps infantry and three combat tours: two to Ramadi, Iraq, with 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines (2005-06 and 2007), and one to Kajaki and Sangin, Afghanistan, with 1st Battalion, 5th Marines in 2011, where he led a section of advisors. Between those tours he served at Quantico as a weapons instructor. He left the Corps as a Sergeant with an honorable discharge.

Listen on JayIzso.com

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.

Work with Michael

Marine veteran, TEDx speaker and author of the 5 Paragraph Business Plan. Bring him to your stage, wear the gear, or catch him live.

Book Michael to Speak
Shop the MJP Store
Get the 5 Paragraph Business Plan
Watch Live

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Courageous Recovery Ep 31: Michael J. Penney Visits (2020)

On October 5, 2020, Randy Mortensen released episode 31 of the Courageous Recovery Podcast, an interview with Michael J. Penney. A second listing, “Ep 31-Michael J Penney Visits,” followed on October 10. The conversation runs about 25 minutes. The show aired on Tuesday nights at 8 Eastern, 7 Central.

Posted by the Speaking to the Heart Podcast Network, October 2020.

What the episode covered

The episode listing opens with his service:

Michael J. Penney is a combat veteran of Iraq & Afghanistan. He served in the United States Marine Corps infantry with 3rd Battalion 7th Marines deploying twice to Ramadi, Iraq, in 2005-2006 and 2007.

Courageous Recovery Podcast, Episode 31 listing

The rest of his record, as he shared it on shows that year:

  • Reenlisted during his second Iraq tour and moved to Quantico as a weapons instructor
  • A third combat tour in 2011 with 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, leading a section of advisors through Kajaki and Sangin, Afghanistan
  • Honorably discharged as a Sergeant after more than eight years
  • TEDxRaleigh speaker in 2016 and creator of the 5 Paragraph Business Plan
  • Chief Advisor at 5Paragraph.com

Why it mattered then

Most of Michael’s 2020 interviews were on business and veteran shows. Courageous Recovery was a different kind of program, and its video copy was shared by the Speaking to the Heart Podcast Network. At 25 minutes, it was also one of his shortest conversations that year.

That fits a theme that runs through his speaking. His TEDx talk, “What’s Your IED,” is about adding value during the explosive moments in life. Getting through hard things, and helping others get through them, is part of the story he tells as a combat veteran.

The show was created by Randy Mortensen and launched in 2020. Its Apple Podcasts page lists 28 episodes. The two listings for episode 31 came five days apart, on October 5 and October 10, 2020, and both run about 25 minutes.

His TEDxRaleigh talk was delivered on March 19, 2016, and the 5 Paragraph Business Plan followed in April 2017.

Where to find it

Both versions of episode 31 are still on Apple Podcasts. The video copy above was posted to YouTube on October 15, 2020, under the title “Michael J. Penney Visits | Courageous Recovery Podcast.”

Listen on Apple Podcasts

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.

Work with Michael

Marine veteran, TEDx speaker and author of the 5 Paragraph Business Plan. Bring him to your stage, wear the gear, or catch him live.

Book Michael to Speak
Shop the MJP Store
Get the 5 Paragraph Business Plan
Watch Live

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Time To Shine Today Ep 131: Michael Penney of 5Paragraph (2020)

On September 9, 2020, L. Scott Ferguson published episode 131 of Time To Shine Today, “Taking Military Operations Format and Applying it to Business,” with Michael Penney of 5Paragraph.com. The interview runs about 30 minutes.

What the episode covered

The show is about leveling up your life and business, and Ferguson framed the episode that way: 5 Paragraph “implements military operations into civilian life to help businesses Level UP.” In the opening of the transcript he calls Michael his “Leatherneck” and says he will be sharing knowledge on “adding value to every situation.”

The episode page pulls out one line from Michael:

The value of a handshake and a heartfelt smile is paramount

Michael Penney, Time To Shine Today Ep 131

Ferguson’s “Knowledge Nuggets and Take-Aways” from the conversation:

  • Always add value to every situation
  • Assess, train, advise and assist
  • Delegate authority to get a solid feedback loop
  • Great people focus on the right ‘nouns’ (person, places and things)

Why it mattered then

Those four points sum up how Michael talked about leadership in 2020. “Add value” goes back to his 2016 TEDx talk. “Assess, train, advise and assist” is how a military advisor team describes its job, which is what he did in Afghanistan in 2011. Delegation with a feedback loop is how a squad runs when the leader cannot be everywhere at once.

Near the end, Michael talked about the legacy he wants to leave his children. He told Ferguson that the Constitution means a whole lot to him and that he wants his kids to grow up with patriotic values.

The episode opens with Michael recording a short intro for the show, telling listeners that if they want to level up their life, they should be listening to Time To Shine Today “with my friend, Scott Ferguson.”

His service record: eight-plus years in Marine Corps infantry and three combat tours: two to Ramadi, Iraq, with 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines (2005-06 and 2007), and one to Kajaki and Sangin, Afghanistan, with 1st Battalion, 5th Marines in 2011, where he led a section of advisors. Between those tours he served at Quantico as a weapons instructor. He left the Corps as a Sergeant with an honorable discharge.

Looking back

The episode page still has the full transcript and links to 5Paragraph.com and his other channels.

Listen on Time To Shine Today

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.

Work with Michael

Marine veteran, TEDx speaker and author of the 5 Paragraph Business Plan. Bring him to your stage, wear the gear, or catch him live.

Book Michael to Speak
Shop the MJP Store
Get the 5 Paragraph Business Plan
Watch Live