If you worked at an office job before, you know there are plenty of reasons to “celebrate” or have a party in the office. Sometimes it’s for a birthday. Other times it’s to celebrate a successful project. Does it make sense to celebrate home business success in the same way?

Of course it does! You’re probably not going to celebrate your birthday with yourself (or you might – no judgement here). But celebrating things like your first client, your first order or your first $100 is a good way to boost your confidence and reward yourself for your hard work up to this point.

Why Should You Celebrate Home Business Success?

A celebration is a way of acknowledging an accomplishment, milestone or achievement. I used to believe that many organizations I was a part of in the past over celebrated to the point of them having diminished value. On the other hand, not celebrating enough can lead to people feeling undervalued, or just a part of the grind. And no one wants to feel that way.

I think the sweet spot is somewhere in the middle. Don’t over celebrate so it becomes a chore or loses its special meaning but celebrate enough to recognize accomplishment or excellence. A home business is no different than a brick-and-mortar traditional business in most respects. The only difference might be the scope and number of employees. Even if you are the only employee, you should value yourself and your accomplishments or milestones. Yet, home business owners tend not to because of the constant grind and pressure to produce results – if for no one else than yourself.

What Successes Should You Celebrate?

It’s up to you and your business model, obviously. But some suggestions would be:

• First sale, or first contract
• First consulting engagement
• First release
• First repeat customer
• Important milestone (such as a breakeven point, 1 year in business, first profitable quarter, etc)
• First successful implementation
• 1000 visitors

Notice there are a lot of firsts on this sample list – and for good reason. You want to build positive momentum early to keep your drive up and build on early accomplishments. The key is to start simple and small, so the goal you are celebrating isn’t a potentially unreachable milestone early on. For example, if you are planning to celebrate when you reach 1 million sales, that’s a great stretch goal. But not planning a celebration earlier than that can be detrimental.

Some Creative Ways to Celebrate Home Business Success

Not everything has to involve an elaborate party or cost a lot of money. After all, celebrating a milestone shouldn’t mean spending all of your profits. But it should be more than a “pat on the back”, “good job, now on to the next one” type of moment.

Take a Deep Reflection Moment

Take a moment to sit back and recognize what you’ve accomplished. Often times, we get so caught up in the day-to-day constant work mode that we forget to stop and look back on how far we have come. Allowing yourself to catch your breath and have a retrospective look at your accomplishment is important.

Don’t rush it – allow yourself permission to take a break from the work and reflect on how far you have come in the time you’ve given yourself. And don’t get too down or focus on the negatives – this is a positive party (sorry – I know that’s really cheesy).

Celebrate with a Treat

Take a time out and treat yourself to an indulgence that you don’t get often. It might be a simple but delicious piece of cake, a special latte from the local coffee shop, or even a spa or relaxation day. Again, it should be something meaningful to you.

For me, I like to take a walk and perhaps indulge in some ice cream. I visit a local park where I have good memories where I can take a leisurely stroll, but I haven’t had time to visit often because of the driving distance. It helps me unwind, celebrate my success, and also recharge my batteries at the same time.

Make your Accomplishment Known

If you feel comfortable, post about the accomplishment on video, social media or to your group of family and friends. They can help you celebrate home business success by simply posting a heartfelt congrats – or perhaps even joining you for a meal or cocktails for celebration. And who knows – it may lead to new business contacts and opportunities for you and your small home business.

If you post on social media or other methods, make sure to engage with the people that respond. This will show your gratitude and is also a positive gesture that can be built upon both from a personal and professional perspective.

Celebrating Through Professional Development

If you prefer to keep your head down or perhaps the accomplishment isn’t necessarily worthy of sharing for some reason, you can celebrate with yourself by learning something new. Perhaps you can buy a book about something new, or else just research it online. The key to making this a reward is to take time out to actually DO IT. Often times as small home business owners, we are so caught up in the day to operations that we forget about constant learning. We see things we want to learn, do, or experiment with but don’t have the time.

Set aside the time as a celebration of your home business success and just DO IT.

Celebrate Home Business Success Your Way.

There is no right or wrong way to celebrate your success as a home business owner. The great thing about owning a home-based business is that you get to decide how to run the business, and how to celebrate its success. Someday, you might be able to celebrate home business success with an all-inclusive paid trip to the Bahamas.

If you do, just remember where you read about it and invite me too.