So far I've run a Tattoo Parlour and an art shop selling paintings and pottery, a flower shop and a farm store. I'm just developing a sweets and cake store at the moment.
The Tattoo Parlour has a residence attached where my Sim actually lives and the others have apartments or private offices where my Sims stay over when working. I spent a good while running the Tattoo Parlour and found it worked well. It has a coffee bar with hired staff and a cleaner. My Sim is the only one that is doing the tattoos. I haven't run any classes so far in any of them. My biggest issue has been staff not doing what they should do, especially the cleaner. My Sim always ends up doing the washing up somehow and clearing up food. It gets a lot of traffic and it's been very successful. Without the coffee bar it was just Sims all queued up indoors and outdoors not doing much, it needed that second activity because there was nothing else to do there and it's been a good earner too.
Visiting the Small Business lots as a customer I'm seeing plenty of other customers. I've set some of the lot activities as social and I haven't limited the age range of targeted customers. I've also set the lot traits as Convivial to create a good sociable atmosphere.
