On April 11, 2019, Jeff “JD” Demers released episode 23 of The Motivated Mindset, titled “Interview w/Michael Penney of ‘5 Paragraph Business Plan.'” The conversation runs just over an hour, at 1:02:42.
What the episode covered
The episode came two years after Michael published the 5 Paragraph Business Plan in April 2017. The show notes introduce him as a Marine Corps veteran and the creator of the plan, and the host calls it one of his favorite interviews.
The notes focus on who the plan is for. They point to two groups:
- Employees inside larger companies who think like owners and want to stand out in their organizations
- Leaders who want their organizations to run more efficiently and to grow
That framing was a little different from many of his earlier interviews, which tended to focus on veterans starting their own businesses. Here the plan was pitched just as much to people working for someone else. According to the notes, Michael also offered a bonus to the show’s listeners and followers.
Why it mattered then
By 2019 Michael’s message had shifted. From 2015 to 2018 he was best known as a co-host of Cigars and Sea Stories. In 2019 he was a business author and advisor, and the operations order he had learned in the Marine Corps had become a product.
The idea behind the plan is simple. Every Marine mission starts with five paragraphs: situation, mission, execution, administration and logistics, and command and signal. Michael kept that structure and used it to plan businesses instead of patrols.
Long-form motivation and self-development shows like this one gave him a full hour to walk through it, well beyond what a short news interview allows.
The book behind the episode was a 91-page, 8.5 by 11 inch paperback, released in April 2017 under the 5 Paragraph Business Plan imprint. It was written to be worked through with a pen, one paragraph at a time, the way a squad leader fills in an order before a patrol.
This interview was an early stop in a long run of guest appearances. Over the next two years Michael carried the same message onto many more shows, including Honor Across Arms, Veteran Nation, Time To Shine Today and A New Direction.
Where to find it
The episode listing is still online, but the listing site warns that the audio file may no longer play, and we have not found a working copy elsewhere. If you have a copy, or know where the episode lives now, we would like to hear from you. If one turns up, we will add it here.
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.