Ken Teramura became our business coach and mentor long before we were Architects At Play. He was instrumental in the formation of our group and will continue to play a large part in moving our little venture forward into the future. We owe a debt of gratitude to Ken and greatly appreciate all the time he has spent helping us get off the ground (and stay out of the mud).
Ken is the founder, CEO, and managing partner of Be Positive Team-based Coaching. He helps small and fledgling businesses focus on the stuff that matters, so that they have time to do the stuff they are passionate about. With 30 years of working in the financial services industry helping successful financial planners become even more successful, Ken noticed that most successful sales people were not the most astute business people. This prompted his move to the world of private consulting and the founding of Be Positive. He says his role as a business coach is to "get people to put their business on pause, examine where there business is at, and help them make necessary corrections." To do so, he asks business owners to look at the long-term Vision and Values of their business. Then the business owner must determine if they are living up to their Vision and Values and focusing on their core competencies.
Ken notes that most businesses need some tweaking in one or more areas. He helps them to create measurable action plans, and he acts as an "Accountability Coach" to make sure the business owners stick to the plan. Ken takes a team-based approach to executing the planning process because he believes that working with a business owner in isolation does not maximize the efforts of the overall team. He notes that almost all successful business owners work within a team environment, surrounding themselves with accountants, lawyers, influencers, and advisory boards. He believes that a business coach should be an integral part of this support network, so that the team's collective skillset can be leveraged.
For Ken, the name Be Positive has a particular significance - it is his blood type (he actively donates blood), and it also describes his outlook on life. For us here at Architects At Play, we know this second point too well. Besides being our business coach, Ken is also a great friend. He always takes the time to ask us about our families and makes us feel at ease whenever we're discussing business. His glass-half-full attitude is certainly contagious.
Ken was born and raised in Winnipeg and has lived here his whole life (with the exception of 2 years spent in Alberta). He graduated from the University of Manitoba with a Bachelor of Education degree and worked with Investors Group for over 30 years before taking early retirement in August 2011. While working at Investors Group, Ken worked in every division, except for Investments. Most of his career was spent working with the consultant network from Client Services, Advanced Financial Planning, E&C Division and Investors Group Institute. Ken has worked on various volunteer committees in and out of Investors Group, most notably Folklorama for the past 35 years.
Ken is an active member in Manitoba's Japanese community and is the President of the Japanese Cultural Association of Manitoba. Ken has been married to his wife Cathie for 30 years, and they have a 27-year old daughter, Keeley, who works in the healthcare industry in Winnipeg. They also have a 24-year old son, Connor, who is working in the financial services industry. The newest addition to the family is 1-year old grandson, Ezra. Ken and Cathie are also proud owners of an 11-year old Shitzu named Zeppelin a 3-year old Shitzu named Sumo.
On December 11, 2018, Architects At Play had its first official Strategic Planning Session with Ken. We spent some time reviewing our successes over the past year, highlighting some of our most memorable milestones. We also looked at areas where we could improve, and Ken helped us look at strategies to ensure we work on those areas. Together we discussed all aspects of our business, from our long-term visions for the future to our plans for immediate actions. Ken helped us focus on our roles within the firm and develop areas of commitment for each of us. We believe that our sessions with Ken have helped us become the type of firm we have always wanted to be, and we look forward to the ongoing relationship between Architects At Play and Be Positive Coaching.
A HUGE Thank-you to Ken Teramura for all his help launching Architects At Play. We are forever grateful!
