A small business is an excellent means of making money while on an owned lot in The Sims 4: Businesses & Hobbies. These businesses can be hosted at a home residence or even a public venue you have previously purchased. As long as your Sims are there, the storefront can be managed. Additionally, while playing as another family, you can visit an existing business to buy goods or make use of skills from your main Sim.

While it isn’t a direct part of a small business, it is important to safeguard any lot from the newly added burglar in TS4. While it is obvious when they arrive, keeping track of your entire inventory when managing a retail shop can be hard. Unless you have been diligently checking every shelf, it may be hard to tell what items were stolen instead of legitimate purchases during the course of the day.

Build & Buy Modes: Public Spaces & Important Business Objects

You Need Upfront Money & Plenty of Space

When starting a small business in The Sims 4, it is important to ensure you can offer all the services and activities you are advertising to customers. This means actually owning or being willing to purchase the associated Buy Mode objects. Examples include having a piano and guitar for music, a pool for swimming, or beds and couches for sleeping.

If you do not currently have enough horizontal space for your lot size, consider building your business above or below ground. Any lot can have several levels of basement or be built upwards. Customers can easily reach other parts of a lot via stairs and ladders.

If you own The Sims 4: Seasons, be sure to build for both weather and temperature. Your services might malfunction if they are stuck in the rain or freezing cold. Customers can even die on your lot if exposed to harmful temperature levels for too long. Alternatively, consider using weather cheats in The Sims 4.

Once the business is started, you will want to zone out each room to prevent customers from roaming around freely. While in Build Mode, select a room, and a drop-down tab will let you select Public, Residential (not even employees may enter), or Employees Only. This allows for more privacy and keeps customers from breaking overused objects like toilets or computers in TS4. Keep in mind that outdoor areas are always public.

Objects That Generate Money

One of the most important items to have in a small business is a Ticket Kiosk. This allows you to collect one-time and hourly fees instead of making most of your objects completely free. It also allows customers to leave more easily, regardless of whether it is positive or negative in TS4.

If you are selling retail items, be sure to use Retail Surfaces provided in The Sims 4: Businesses & Hobbies. Similar Buy Mode items from older expansions will not have the same functionality in a small business. Place any goods you want to sell on top of the surface to let AI-controlled Sims browse. Three small items can be placed in a single space, while larger goods take a whole shelf. Food and drink items can stay fresh for up to three days but will spoil if not sold.

Entry Tickets Vs Hourly Rates Vs Selling Goods

What Does Your Store Specialize In?

Without either the Ticket Kiosk or Retail Surfaces, your business is dead in the water in TS4. You need at least one to generate money in The Sims 4, but which is better, or should you consider using both? AI-controlled Sims can be very finicky about buying retail items: they either want a hefty discount or a high quality if there is a surcharge. Discount foul or poor items up to 50%, and if you increase prices, make sure the quality is excellent.

Entry Tickets are good if your Sim can provide a unique service, like being a tattoo artist or providing spa activities from TS4: Spa Day. This means the customer Sims is getting something special from you. They are also likely to rate your business highly.

You can also hire up to three additional employees to provide services or do other business tasks. Hiring a friend can be a good solution if your main Sim lacks the skill levels to do a job. However, Sims that do not live in your family will take a cut of the profits as their wages.

Hourly Rates are the best overall option if your small business provides hands-off interactions like fishing or chess in The Sims 4: Businesses & Hobbies. It might turn off some potential clients, but those opt-ins will bring steady cash. Your small business owner can even just sleep or perform freelance work while the hourly income just steadily adds up to pure profit.