About

The purpose of the Iwakuni Home-based Business Organization is for home-based business owners attached to MCAS Iwakuni to combine resources, share information and enhance marketing efforts.

With these purposes in mind, the organization has created this directory of current business owners and the products and services they provide. While we make the best effort possible to keep all information accurate, please be aware that you use this site and the information on it at your own risk. The organization does not endorse any of the businesses listed here and, as common sense would dictate, you should conduct your own research before using any vendor.

A message from the current President

Stef Miller: Zija & PastimePassion

Hi, everyone... We are Stef Miller and Amanda Shreve, Iwakuni Home-based Business Organization's (IHBO) President and Vice president.  As Jessica, the founder of IHBO transitions out of Iwakuni, we are honored to be able to continue this organization, and support the business owners of Iwakuni. 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.

Amanda Shreve: Scentsy

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 considering 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 to make sure business owners know what they are doing when working with the public, especially if it is a health and/or beauty business. As consumers, we 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 the original founder of IHBO, Jessica Guthrie, first arrived in Japan in July 2012, there weren't 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 to open 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. We meet 6 p.m. the second or third Monday of each month (usually in the "teens" of the month, unless there is a holiday) in one of the midrise community rooms on base. We talk about whatever is coming up, often about our Home Business Expos. 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 this directory. Once your business has been approved through SJA, your home-based business can be listed on this web site 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, we are always happy to help answer questions or point you in the right direction if we don't know the answer. You can reach us on Facebook, or by sending an email to the address above. We look forward to the opportunity to network with you!