Hi, everyone... Jessica Guthrie here. I am the Iwakuni Home-based Business Organization's (IHBO) founder and current president. This directory is made up of listings of local home-based business owners who have been approved by SJA to do business with the public aboard MCAS Iwakuni. Each of these members offers unique products and services that may not be offered elsewhere on base.If you are a business owner attached to MCAS Iwakuni, or are thinking of starting a business, the IHBO is a great resource for you. If you are thinking of opening a business, and aren't sure where to start, go to the SJA office on base, which is close to the front gate and housed with PMO. They will give you the forms you need to fill out. To quickly address any rumors you may have heard, neither SJA or MCCS takes any of your profits (I haven't reported anything to them, had requests for anything... nothing), they do not report you to the IRS (although, you should report your earnings to the IRS yourself... we have info about it on our Facebook page) and the SJA process is makes sure business owners know what they are doing when working with the public, especially if it is a health and/or beauty business. As a consumer, I personally recommend that you make sure the business owner has been approved, that way you have a better chance of working safely with a professional.
And to address another rumor: The IHBO is not affiliated with the base or SJA or any other government organization. We are just a group of military members, spouses and DoD employees who also have a business (or businesses!) we work on from home. You can learn more about us and the SJA approval process by reading this April 2013 article in Preview magazine.
When I first arrived in Japan in July 2012, there weren't too many resources for home-based business owners aboard MCAS Iwakuni and the application process through SJA was a bit confusing.... and that's if you even knew to start with SJA to get the ball rolling on opening your business! So, now that you know where to get started in the application process, here are some ways you can get involved and make the most of the IHBO:
1) Join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/IwakuniHBO/ You can ask active business owners all sorts of questions and we are happy to give you ideas and suggestions.
2) Come to one of our monthly meetings. Our next meeting is at 6 p.m. Sept. 16 in the station library (3rd floor of building 411). We will be talking about our November Crafts and Information Fair. We have two of these a year, spring and fall. At these meetings, we also chat as a group, help each other with ideas, customer service problems, marketing tips, etc.
3) Get listed in the directory. Once your business has been approved through SJA, your home-based business can be listed in the directory for free. All you have to do is submit the application form... just send an email to ihbomembership@gmail.com to have it emailed to you. Members are encouraged to share the directory link with the community to help promote not only our own businesses but the other home-based businesses as well.
Additionally, I am always happy to help answer questions or point you in the right direction if I don't know the answer. You can reach me on Facebook, or by sending an email to the address above. I look forward to the opportunity to network with you!
