In February 2020, Michael Bluemling Jr. released episode 78 of the Live with Michael Bluemling Jr. Podcast, titled “Michael Penney Discusses His Organization, 5 Paragraph, and Being a Conservative Veteran Entrepreneur.” Listings date it February 10, 2020. It runs about 48 minutes.
What the episode covered
The title sets out three topics: his organization, the 5 Paragraph method behind it, and what it meant to be a veteran running a business with conservative values.
The episode description gives the same bio that appeared across his interviews that year:
- Marine Corps infantry with 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, deploying twice to Ramadi, Iraq, in 2005-06 and 2007
- Reenlisted and moved to Quantico as a weapons instructor
- A third combat tour in 2011 with 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, leading advisors through Kajaki and Sangin, Afghanistan
- Honorably discharged as a Sergeant after more than eight years
- TEDxRaleigh speaker in March 2016, with “What’s Your IED: How to Add Value During Life’s Explosive Situations”
The notes describe the 5 Paragraph Business Plan as taking the military operations order format and applying it to business, with Michael advising business leaders on how to put it to work. The episode was distributed on Libsyn, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn and Himalaya.
Why it mattered then
Most of Michael’s earlier guest spots stayed on business and transition. This one put his values in the title. The show is listed under news and politics, and the title signals a conversation about values as well as business.
It was also the start of a working relationship. Six months later, in August 2020, Bluemling, credited as Michael “SGT” Bluemling, Jr., co-hosted Michael again on Veteran Nation, an NRN+ series about the challenges veterans face when they come home.
The description lists two websites for listeners who wanted to learn more: 5PARAGRAPH.COM and 5ParagraphBusinessPlan.com. Both pointed to the same idea, a business plan written in the format of a military operations order.
The guest list around this episode shows the show’s focus. The next episode, number 79, featured Rhonda Furin discussing her candidacy for U.S. Congress in California District 45.
Where to find it
The show’s Libsyn directory page now says it is no longer available, but the episode is still listed on Spotify and other podcast apps.
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.