Think back to when you were seven. The teacher announces the school year’s end-of-the-year open house, and you know immediately that this is one flier that absolutely needs to make it home to mom. This is the night you will get to parade your parents around your classroom presenting all of the hard work you’ve produced throughout the year, like your own personal third grade gallery showing.

Flash forward 30 (or so) years, and the concept of an open house may be just a smidge different, now that you’re a small business owner. Though less filled with Crayola masterpieces and button multiplication tables, the idea behind an open house still holds true: to present what you and your business have been working on and what you have to offer the community. An open house is a great way to showcase your business.

Here are four tips on how to host the best open house on the block.

1. It’s never too late to start

You may think that an open house is more of a “welcome to the neighborhood!" type deal, but you don’t have to be a new business to host an open house. The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf often hosts open houses periodically to celebrate anniversaries or to showcase a new drink on the menu (think back to that third grade definition of open house). So don’t fret if you’ve been in business for a couple years and this is your first time meeting and greeting with the community - you can still have an open house.

2. You don’t need to sell a product

Typically open houses are about showcasing a physical product. If you don’t have a product, but instead offer a service, it can be hard to host people with the intention of showcasing something when what you have to showcase isn’t physical. If you own a service business, think of an open house as more of a networking opportunity. Invite members of the community over to your office, or the courtyard outside your office (if you happen to have one), for some food, drinks, and general information about your business. You may not have samples of your products out and about, but you can still print up and pass out some fliers and business cards explaining the services your business offers. 

3. Go the discount route

No matter what your business offers, you can also turn your open house into a discount promotion. “Get a 50% off coupon for [insert popular/new product or service] when you attend our open house!” This is a great way to get people in the door to learn some more about your business as a whole, and a great way to get potential new customers to try out and fall in love with what you have to offer.

4. Food gets people talking

One of the best things you can do for your open house is to offer a delicious spread of food at the event. Appetizers and snacks are natural icebreakers for a crowd. Food is a conversation starter, and it’s the perfect way to make visitors feel comfortable when they first arrive to your business. For those in the food industry especially, the best way to get people to fall in love with your food is enjoying some samples for free in a friendly and welcoming atmosphere.

About the Author

Deborah Sweeney is the CEO of MyCorporation.com. MyCorporation is a leader in online legal filing services for entrepreneurs and businesses, providing start-up bundles that include corporation and LLC formation, registered agent, DBA, and trademark & copyright filing services. MyCorporation does all the work, making the business formation and maintenance quick and painless, so business owners can focus on what they do best. Follow her on Google+ and on Twitter @mycorporation.