Solo Office Celebration Tips

“I like everything about working in my home office except the holidays,” she says. “My old company used to throw a huge holiday bash at the boss’s house, and I miss the camaraderie. It’s just not the same in my solo office.”

In case you, too, are feeling the December blues, here are three tips to help you perk up your business contacts as well as your share of parties.

1. Host your own holiday party and invite your clients, vendors, referral sources and other business associates
With a little planning (and some good advice—see our article about throwing a holiday bash at work), you can wow your clients with both your hosting skills and the talents that pay your bills. Don’t limit yourself to events in the evening either. Think breakfast or lunch buffet. If your house or apartment is too small or too far away from your clients, consider going to a restaurant or renting a small room in a hotel.

You can think of the expense as a holiday gift for your clients and a networking boon for yourself. Everyone will be talking about you and your fabulous party.

2. Get invited to your clients’ parties
In a perfect world, the clients you work for would invite you to their holiday galas. But given the economy, many companies are cutting back on expenses. And some others may just forget to invite their freelance or part-time workers.

If you know that your client is having a party, politely ask if you can come. At the holidays, nobody wants to be a Scrooge, so you’ve got nothing to lose.

Networking at the company event is a good way to meet new people within the organization and to seek out new work. Experts suggest that the best way to increase your business is to get more work from your current clients. Who knows, you might just share a laugh with or spill punch on your next client.

3. Hobnob with your fellow solo practitioners
If you can’t snag an invite or afford to throw a shindig of your own, think about scheduling some time to drink a cup of cheer with your fellow freelancers.

Whether you’re a solo lawyer, home-based accountant or freelance writer, you probably know a variety of other work-at-home types. Invite them over for tea or go out for cocktails at a festive night spot in town. Better yet, solicit their ideas on what to do. Together, you can create your own holiday camaraderie.

To fight her holiday loneliness, Sally Frontenac called up three solo-office mavens: a freelance illustrator she knows, the lawyer who works out of her house next door and a friend who runs a photography studio out of her basement.

“We decided to schedule tea at one of the nicer hotels,” she says. “We had a wonderful time. We all dressed up and got babysitters. The food was good, and the company was better. We had such a good time that we’ve already scheduled a date for this year. Everybody knows some other freelancers they’d like to invite, and people are already calling me for details. I feel as if I started my own exclusive club.”

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Tips for Planning and Saving at the Holidays: How to Maximize the Ho-ho-hos and Minimize the Humbug
How to Save Money at the Holidays: Budget, Budget, Budget

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