INTRO#AD (just in case this counts as social media)I was invited to join the CFE (not final software) opportunity for Businesses & Hobbies. Thank you to the EA Creator Network for this chance to answer questions for you about ALL THE THINGS!I will be taking and answering questions about gameplay, throwing several pots, botching multiple tattoos, out-nerding the Logic Class participants, chasing down a Shady character in a trench-coat... ALL THE THINGS! Plus I'll give you info on anything else you guys want to know about!I have mainly played around trying various home-based businesses, as there are so many possible combinations to create, so might have to look up some higher level info as I answer questions. I'm still testing as we speak, and will be for as long as I have early access. I also threw in my packs for (unsupported) cross-pack testing for more of an idea of what could be done with this pack.The embargo has already lifted at time of posting. Format will be similar to last time where I have links to each subject and add more info to each based on questions asked and as I discover things through gameplay. If you didn't see it the first time you look, check on the subject post again later.Index to follow . Let me know if there's something I forgot. You know the drill...Premises built. Staff employed. Tickets now on sale!P.S. - I also have a Creator Code now, so if you find my Q&A useful you might consider it as an option at checkout. This doesn't give you a discount, but it gives me a 5% commission on the price of the pack. If you wish to use it, my code is EmmaVane. Just enter the code on the the payment screen where voucher codes normally go. Thank you, EA for this opportunity.INDEX*NEW* SMALL BUSINESS SYSTEM§ Business Activities§ Business Presets§ Target Customers§ Business Ideas & Tips§ Business Logos/Graphics & Map Icons§ Business Logistics: Setting Up/Passing Down§ Owned Business Crossovers/Updates§ Business Perks§ Business Objects§ Can I have a Small Business here?§ Employees§ Standard Venue vs. Small Business version of Venue§ TS4:B&H vs. TS2:OFB*NEW* PERSONALITY ELEMENTS§ Aspirations§ Traits§ Skill Mastery Perks

BUSINESS IDEAS AND TIPSPLACES TO STAY OVERNIGHTI'm going to place/set up some type of resort, hotel, hostel, B&B or campground in every world, even if I don't actively play the sim that runs it, or do play them but focus on a different family business when playing actively. So the Small Business lot might have a major business that I play actively as the owner and visit as a customer, and a minor hotel business that I only really play as a customer.Why? * It should cost money travelling to other worlds/regions (petrol, flights, train tickets etc), so if I go collection hunting I could check in somewhere first and hang out while I wait for things to spawn. This could be an overnight stay business, or another type of business until bedtime.* Life & Death has Travel related Bucket List Goals which require a 24 hours stay in a world. By having a place to sleep in every world I can use/complete these Travel Goals more often in my gameplay. Maybe hotels could have little Gift Shops in the lobby with local items like snow globes, local landscape paintings/photos or books about local history. Little mementoes of your stay there.* Growing Together has Stay Overs from the host's side, but nothing from the guest's side. Maybe add guest rooms/suites/houses on to the homes of family/friends you want to visit so you can spend the night/several days with them and not get in trouble for using their beds, bathrooms and kitchens. Just have a sim in the host family that owns the business, they don't have to open it when you play them.Tips* You could open up overnight stay businesses between 12-3, so when you close/it auto-closes 23 hours later you get a mass exodus of customers - like an 11 am check out time IRL. Use the 1-3 hour window to sort your Owner's needs, and be ready to go again next shift, at least until you have employees.* The Free Services reward trait would give you free access to cleaning, repairs, catering, gardening, animal care (say, for a Dude Ranch style resort) or even a Butler for fancier hotels etc. - This also frees up more Employee Task slots to offer other services that can't be hired, and allows your owner to have more free time.CRAFT SHOPSGreat for any Sim that creates physical items such as paintings, pottery, cross-stitch etc. The only things you can't sell are floor items like furniture from Handiness/Fabrication, but you can still sell the smaller items made from these skills.Why?* You can spend all your time crafting and don't need to spend time selling.* You can teach others your hobby skill via giving Classes/paid Mentoring for money, or give back to the community via free Mentoring/Lectures.*If you teach one of you children, a relative or a younger friend your craft as their Mentor, you can have a great multi-generational business that you pass from sim to sim. This is especially great for historical gameplay where apprenticeships were more common.Tips* If the crafting objects (E.G. Cross-Stitch Supplies) or associated décor (E.G. Yarn Ball) slots onto Retail Surfaces you could sell them to customers along with actual crafts. Selling BB items is a quick way to fill up Retail Surfaces if you run out of (or haven't yet created) crafted items, which keeps customers from being upset if there's nothing to purchase when there should be.BOOK SHOPSOpen a Book Shop with your author, or sell copies of their books in a business run by another sim.Why?*Ever played rotationally and wanted other sims to be able to buy your Author's books to read? Before you would have had to open a Retail store and have the author own it. Now they can have a household member do the selling for them.*Bookworm sims now have ALL THE BOOKS and can expand their personal Libraries indefinitely as long as someone in the world is writing and selling new books.*Never use the Book Title and Description box as an Author? Now you have a reason to make them interesting as other sims will want variety in their bookshelves.* Book Shops could also have areas for sims to read their new books, Cafés and even host Book Signings (Meet & Greets) for famous Author sims. Maybe employ a local Author for Writing Classes too.Tips*Make a Copy of written books before publishing (and keep it in a safe place, like household inventory) so you have something to copy stock from. This first copy will have a lower price than the original unless you have Spellcaster Repairio spell (can be risky and burn things) or the Final Touch Skill Mastery Perk to improve the quality of crafted items. Every so often you can place it in the world to make a bunch of copies to use for restocking, but the first copy (other than published original) is kept safe for maximum profit.*Want to get your Author's books available to the public, but don't want to run a Book Shop yourself? Gift a copy of their book to a sim who has a Book Shop/other Small Business to get it onto the shelves. The downside is that there's no additional profit for the Author (profit goes to Book Shop owner, other than Author's published book royalties).DAY-TRIP EXPERIENCESBusinesses where sims pay a basic, one-off entry fee for a day out experience, rather than something they might do regularly in their daily life. Crafters, collectors, adventurers, animal lovers and even Kleptos might like to run these businesses, starting small and working up to something bigger.Why?* Great things to do for dates, family days out or school field trips etc. Interesting places to get family photos, new unique Milestones, and have fun (or not, depending on Traits/Preferences).* Adds more interest to worlds if the experience venues match the culture and typical pastimes of the local population, but are something interesting and new for world visitors.Tips* Art Galleries - Only the prettiest/best quality/most expensive (Masterpiece/Outstanding) creations made by an artist will be displayed, with any lower value/defective/repeats and copies (where copyable) being sold in the Gift Shop for extra profit.* Museums (History) - A great place for Collectors, Archaeologists and even Kleptos to display their finds. Collectors can display Werewolf Relics and Sulani Treasures, Archaeologists can display Selvadoradian Treasures and magical Relics etc. Kleptos could steal Heirlooms that have been in families for generations (E.G. Medieval décor like shield/sword wall décor and suits of armour) or items from local celebrities for famous sim displays. Replica artifacts, and all but the best quality/most expensive finds can be sold in the Gift Shop for extra profit.* Museums (Science) - Maybe your Astronaut, Scientist, Engineer or Botanist sim starts this one and generations with different STEM careers add onto it over time. You could include a botanical garden, natural history section with natural collectibles organised by biome, space section with rockets/Sixam portal/space collectibles, technology section with computers and robotics etc. The various area could also have Hobby Whiteboards for Owner/Employees to do Classes or Visitors to Lecture.* Vinyard/Brewery - Have sims come and learn how to Garden, Make & Drink Nectar, supply Juice Fizzers to use too (can use Juice Fizzers as a Customer, but no Business Activity for them on the Owner side). Have a Bar area where sims can have drinks and relax. Have a Gift Shop where you sell your own crafted items.* Zoos/Petting Zoos - Have Customers/Employees Care for/Play with various animals, visit the refreshment areas and pick up an animal plushie or artwork in the Gift Shop before they head home.

SMALL BUSINESS SYSTEMCreate/edit Small Business UI. (Note: Cheerlead option comes with the High School Years EP)BUSINESS ACTIVITES (by type)These change Sim autonomy when on the lot, and also show on lot info panels so you can see what services a Small Business offers straight from the Map. Business Activities are much like Club Activities [GT] in that they are varied and plentiful, but also not exhaustive (things are missing, same as with Clubs).Some activities are also grouped together and might not be immediately obvious, but every Business Activity can be hovered over for a tooltip with more details. (E.G. Use Hot Tubs - This includes both Hot Tubs and Hot Springs [SE])Food and Drink - All things Grilled Cheese, Bake, Cook, Drink Bar Drinks, Drink Coffee, Drink Ranch Nectar, Drink Tea, Eat, Eat Popcorn, Grill, Make Ranch Nectar, Make Treats, Mix Bar Drinks. (Missing: Drink Trays, Globe Bar, Juice Fizzer, Kava Bowl, Punch/Fondue Fountains)Art and Music - Acting Routines, Cross-stitch, DJ, Dance, Do Comedy, Do Pottery, Get Tattooed, Knitting, Listen To Music, Paint, Play An Instrument, Play Guitar, Play Piano, Play Pipe Organ, Play Violin, Practice Tattooing, Produce New Track, Sing, View Art, View Collectibles, Watch Live Entertainment.Hobbies - Attend Classes and Lectures, Build Robots, Cheerlead, Debate, Do Gemology, Do Research, Do Séances, Do Spa Activities, Do Yoga, Fabricate Objects, Flower Arranging, Go Skating, Meditate, Program, Read, Record Video, Rocket Science!, Use Bubble Blower, Use Cauldron, Use Microscope, Use Science Objects, Use Telescope, Watch Movies on TV, Woodwork, Work Out, Write.Fun and Games - Go Bowling, Play Arcade Machine, Play Basketball, Play Cards, Play Chess, Play Darts, Play Don't Wake The Llama, Play Foosball, Play Football Toss, Play Hopscotch, Play Horseshoes, Play Physical Games, Play Pub Games, Play Simbles, Play Soccer, Play Table Games, Play Video Games, Play Who's Up Party Games, Put Puzzles Together, Use Lawn Water Slide, Wear Costumes from Costume Trunk.Mischief and Mayhem - Cast Chaotic Spells, Cast Helpful Spells, Cast Spells, Drink Plasma, Hack, Possess Objects, Prank, Roar, Sabotage Objects, Swipe Objects, Use Alien Powers, Use Evil Ghost Mastery, Use Good Ghost Mastery, Use Vampire Powers, Use Werewolf Abilities. (Missing: Use Merfolk Powers)Outdoor - Care for Animals, Conservation Activities, Fall Activities, Fish, Hangout by Fire, Horses Play and Learn, Look for Frogs, Moonbathing, Pets Play and Learn, Play In Park Fountains, Play with Pets, Spring Activities, Summer Activities, Swim, Tend Garden, Tend and Harvest Garden, Use Hot Tub, Use Water Vehicles, Use the Jump Platform, Winter Activities.Social - Be Friendly, Be Funny, Be Mean, Be Mischievous, Be Romantic, Fight, Give Speech, Hug, Kiss, Scare, Tell Jokes. (Missing: WooHoo, Sparring/Practice Fighting)Kid Activities - Battle With Voidcritters, Do Homework, Perform Puppet Shows, Play In Closet, Play Marbles, Play On Playground Equipment, Play With Toys, Play with Infant & Toddler Toys, Use Activity Table, Use Science Table.Home Activities - Bathe and Shower, Browse and Buy Items, Browse the Web, Clean, Do Laundry, Fix Objects, Sleep, Stay Near Household Sims, Try On Outfits, Watch TV.BUSINESS PRESETSYou can pick from various presets based on existing venue types. Venues types available are based on your installed content. You can use the presets as-is, or use them as a starting point and customise them. Custom lists of Business Activities can be saved as a new preset for future use.Arts Center - Paint, Play An Instrument, View Art, Watch Live EntertainmentBar - Drink Bar Drinks, Watch TV, Be Friendly, Play Pub GamesBowling Alley - Bowl, Drink Bar DrinksCafé - Drink Coffee, Eat, ReadCat Café - Play with Pets, Drink Coffee, Drink TeaCommunity Garden - Tend Garden, Be FriendlyGym - Work Out, Bathe and ShowerKaraoke Bar - Sing, Drink Bar Drinks, Watch Live Entertainment, Be FriendlyLibrary - Read, Do Homework, Browse the WebLounge - Do Comedy, Play An Instrument, Watch Live Entertainment, Drink Bar DrinksMaker Space - Fabricate Objects, Woodwork, Be FriendlyMuseum - View Art, View Collectibles, PaintNightclub - Dance, Listen To Music, Drink Bar DrinksOnsen Bathhouse - Use Hot TubPark - Fish, Swim, Grill, Play On Playground EquipmentPool - SwimPottery Studio - Do Pottery, Browse and Buy Items, Attend Classes and LecturesRecreation Center - Play Table Games, Work Out, Paint, Play On Playground EquipmentShop - Browse and Buy ItemsSpa - Do Spa ActivitiesTattoo Parlor - Get TattooedUniversity Commons - Do Homework, Read, Play Physical Games, Play Video Games, Be FriendlyTARGET CUSTOMERSThese are customer demographics and again take their cue from the Club system [GT].New detail with this pack - the rules can be strict (specifically ONLY these customers) or loose (these customers preferred, but other Sims also welcome). So you could have a business ONLY attract Teens, but might run out of new customers quickly unless you create more Teens, or they are spawned via other gameplay. Preferring Teens usually spawns Teens until the save runs out, then calls in other customers to make up numbers.When "Make Selected Criteria Required" is checked, Sims MUST meet this requirement to visit the lot as a customer. When unchecked they will have priority, but other Sims can come to make up numbers later.The Target Customer Criteria are the same as for Club Requirements (inc. newly patched in Occult filter and updated Financial Status brackets), with the addition of one more category of customers - Supervised Customers:Target Customer UI is similar to the Club Requirements UI.These are customers that need to be brought to the venue by a Caregiver Sim aged Teen+. Once at the venue the Caregiver will either stay on the lot and enjoy the facilities, or drop off their charge and leave before picking them up later. Staying at the business is the default, but the box can be unchecked.Sims will arrive with children and pets, and either stay on the Small Business lot with them or leave them in your care. (Note: Cats and Dogs come with the Cats & Dogs EP. Horses come with the Horse Ranch EP)

COMPARISONS WITH SIMILAR CONTENTStandard Venue vs. Small Business version of VenueTEST 1 - BARWhen visiting an owned Bar (I had Nina Caliente purchase Rattlesnake Juice and use the default Bar Preset) the main thing I noticed was less Sims crowded around the bar, and most Sims gathered around the TV. I guess because it's not an official Bar, there could be less of a "push" to drink, because TV watching is also a Business Activity, and there are no Pub Games on the lot by default. Nina was the Bartender as she was it's owner and has no Employees, and she was wearing her Hot Weather outfit (to fit the weather). I set her Employee Tasks to be Tend Bar, Be Friendly, Clean and Repair. At one point Nina might have needed Fun/Social, because she came out from behind the Bar to Watch TV/Chat. She went back when I turned off the TV/cancelled her chatting to me (I was playing as Johnny Zest). I pranked the toilet to break it, but Nina didn't autonomously fix it straight away (I think this is distance related because once I called her over to the restroom, she spotted the break and fixed it).Observations: In an owned Bar your Bartender will be your Bar Owner or another Employee (anyone you set to Tend Bar). They will not wear a uniform (unless you set a custom one, they will just wear their Everyday/Hot/Cold outfit). Community Lot Bartenders normally Tend Bar, Be Friendly and Clean by default (based on observations). You could add Repairs to this for fixing broken toilets etc in your own Bar, or change the vibe of the place by making them Be Mean instead of Be Friendly. There are no Happy Hour or Themed Nights at owned Bars. Bar Food menu is whatever is the world default, but drink menu depends on Mixologist skill (Community Lot bars require level 5 Mixology), so depending on current Bartender's skills/unlocks, drinks menu could vary. You also wouldn't need to have the same Venue Requirements on an owned Bar - no need for a TV if you don't want it, and no more hiding things in basements. You might have to charge entry/hourly rate to your bar if Sims aren't buying many drinks.

You will need to restock Retail Surfaces when they are sold out, but you can slow down sales in a few ways. Any businesses that have a food/drink counter can continue serving default food/drinks from the object, even if all other food stock on the premises has sold. Services (like tattooing, massages etc) also don't sell out, just make sure you set your Owner/Employee to tend any service items (if you haven't already done so) before you rotate away. Items that don't need a stock or a service sim, such as skill objects and games, are always available for use even if there is nothing to buy and no active services when you visit.* When the lot is not loaded there will be no sales, so stock level should remain the same. You could play several households in a row without visiting the business, and nothing would have sold. You can limit visits to/time spent at the lot to slow stock depletion.* When playing the lot (as the Owner), you can Disable Sales on Retail Surfaces to stock them without Customers constantly buying things, but can still keep the business open for other services.* If you want Customers to still occasionally buy things (at a much slower rate), you can Enable Sales on the Retail Surfaces, but don't set/unset Browse and Buy Items as a Business Activity (sims aren't pushed to buy, but still do occasionally of their own accord). By the time you rotate away, you should have full shelves if you use one/both of these methods.* You can also consider selling copies of crafted items, rather than the originals. Copies are fast to produce, so it's an easy way to refill shelves. Copies usually have worse quality, but there are various ways to improve item quality in game. They also sell for less than the original, but if you are making copies quickly, you also don't need to slow down sales to keep shelves full.* Time to rotate? Enable Sales on your Retail Surfaces, if they are Disabled. If you forget this step, you won't be able to buy anything placed on Retail Surfaces when you visit as a Customer.* Move to the next household.* Now you can visit Business 1 with Household 2, but as a Customer. As the lot has not been loaded, it should have all it's stock from before set for sale. Watch the other Customers buy things... The purchase rate should be slow enough that you might never see them buy things, nothing like the fast-paced sales rate it would be with Browse and Buy Items selected.

SMALL BUSINESS SYSTEMSETTING UP [UNOWNED?] BUSINESSES TO VISITThe only new Build Mode element to Small Businesses is the room allocation tool. All other Business settings are accessed via the Owner's Business Panel. Selling a Small Business you are living on just makes the lot Residential again without the (Small Business) suffix. Unowned Small Business Venues seem to have no visitors or autonomy, like Generic lots.You can still set up Businesses to visit, like you would Retail etc, you just can't sell them after setting them up like you do with Retail. will also need to ensure that your Owners or their Employees have the appropriate skills for Classes/Lectures/Mentoring, if that service is offered. Just set the owners to Unplayed when you are done, and maybe give them Custom Neighborhood Stories settings so they don't move out of their Home Business or quit their Small Business jobs. The only thing I'm not sure of here is how restocking works for shops. Service only businesses should run fine though.PASSING DOWN BUSINESSES ON DEATHIirc, the Gurus said that if a Small Business isn't passed down in life by the Owner, it'll transfer to a household member on death. As Sims can only Register one Small Business each, it would have to pass to someone who doesn't already own one. I have not tested this in gameplay though. I HAVE checked to see if Small Businesses can be passed down on death via the L&D Will... The answer is no.

Q&A: Businesses & Hobbies | EA Forums

85 Replies

EgonVM
Seasoned Ace
2 months ago
I'll begin.
Ok, I'd like to know more business customization options. Inspiration's calling. My first question is what are all the business activities, target customer filters, and business icons there are? Any more fun options when creating a business?
And, of course, are the old businesses (Retail Stores, Restaurants, Vet Clinics, and Residential Rental) updated in some way?
And as the livestream lost power, what are the new traits and aspirations? And what does the business perk tree look like? What does the small business panel have (in the tab where you can also look at other businesses)?
EmmaVane
Seasoned Ace
2 months ago
SMALL BUSINESS SYSTEM
Create/edit Small Business UI. (Note: Cheerlead option comes with the High School Years EP)

BUSINESS ACTIVITES (by type)
These change Sim autonomy when on the lot, and also show on lot info panels so you can see what services a Small Business offers straight from the Map. Business Activities are much like Club Activities [GT] in that they are varied and plentiful, but also not exhaustive (things are missing, same as with Clubs).

Some activities are also grouped together and might not be immediately obvious, but every Business Activity can be hovered over for a tooltip with more details. (E.G. Use Hot Tubs - This includes both Hot Tubs and Hot Springs [SE])

Food and Drink - All things Grilled Cheese, Bake, Cook, Drink Bar Drinks, Drink Coffee, Drink Ranch Nectar, Drink Tea, Eat, Eat Popcorn, Grill, Make Ranch Nectar, Make Treats, Mix Bar Drinks. (Missing: Drink Trays, Globe Bar, Juice Fizzer, Kava Bowl, Punch/Fondue Fountains)
Art and Music - Acting Routines, Cross-stitch, DJ, Dance, Do Comedy, Do Pottery, Get Tattooed, Knitting, Listen To Music, Paint, Play An Instrument, Play Guitar, Play Piano, Play Pipe Organ, Play Violin, Practice Tattooing, Produce New Track, Sing, View Art, View Collectibles, Watch Live Entertainment.
Hobbies - Attend Classes and Lectures, Build Robots, Cheerlead, Debate, Do Gemology, Do Research, Do Séances, Do Spa Activities, Do Yoga, Fabricate Objects, Flower Arranging, Go Skating, Meditate, Program, Read, Record Video, Rocket Science!, Use Bubble Blower, Use Cauldron, Use Microscope, Use Science Objects, Use Telescope, Watch Movies on TV, Woodwork, Work Out, Write.
Fun and Games - Go Bowling, Play Arcade Machine, Play Basketball, Play Cards, Play Chess, Play Darts, Play Don't Wake The Llama, Play Foosball, Play Football Toss, Play Hopscotch, Play Horseshoes, Play Physical Games, Play Pub Games, Play Simbles, Play Soccer, Play Table Games, Play Video Games, Play Who's Up Party Games, Put Puzzles Together, Use Lawn Water Slide, Wear Costumes from Costume Trunk.
Mischief and Mayhem - Cast Chaotic Spells, Cast Helpful Spells, Cast Spells, Drink Plasma, Hack, Possess Objects, Prank, Roar, Sabotage Objects, Swipe Objects, Use Alien Powers, Use Evil Ghost Mastery, Use Good Ghost Mastery, Use Vampire Powers, Use Werewolf Abilities. (Missing: Use Merfolk Powers)
Outdoor - Care for Animals, Conservation Activities, Fall Activities, Fish, Hangout by Fire, Horses Play and Learn, Look for Frogs, Moonbathing, Pets Play and Learn, Play In Park Fountains, Play with Pets, Spring Activities, Summer Activities, Swim, Tend Garden, Tend and Harvest Garden, Use Hot Tub, Use Water Vehicles, Use the Jump Platform, Winter Activities.
Social - Be Friendly, Be Funny, Be Mean, Be Mischievous, Be Romantic, Fight, Give Speech, Hug, Kiss, Scare, Tell Jokes. (Missing: WooHoo, Sparring/Practice Fighting)
Kid Activities - Battle With Voidcritters, Do Homework, Perform Puppet Shows, Play In Closet, Play Marbles, Play On Playground Equipment, Play With Toys, Play with Infant & Toddler Toys, Use Activity Table, Use Science Table.
Home Activities - Bathe and Shower, Browse and Buy Items, Browse the Web, Clean, Do Laundry, Fix Objects, Sleep, Stay Near Household Sims, Try On Outfits, Watch TV.

BUSINESS PRESETS
You can pick from various presets based on existing venue types. Venues types available are based on your installed content. You can use the presets as-is, or use them as a starting point and customise them. Custom lists of Business Activities can be saved as a new preset for future use.

Arts Center - Paint, Play An Instrument, View Art, Watch Live Entertainment
Bar - Drink Bar Drinks, Watch TV, Be Friendly, Play Pub Games
Bowling Alley - Bowl, Drink Bar Drinks
Café - Drink Coffee, Eat, Read
Cat Café - Play with Pets, Drink Coffee, Drink Tea
Community Garden - Tend Garden, Be Friendly
Gym - Work Out, Bathe and Shower
Karaoke Bar - Sing, Drink Bar Drinks, Watch Live Entertainment, Be Friendly
Library - Read, Do Homework, Browse the Web
Lounge - Do Comedy, Play An Instrument, Watch Live Entertainment, Drink Bar Drinks
Maker Space - Fabricate Objects, Woodwork, Be Friendly
Museum - View Art, View Collectibles, Paint
Nightclub - Dance, Listen To Music, Drink Bar Drinks
Onsen Bathhouse - Use Hot Tub
Park - Fish, Swim, Grill, Play On Playground Equipment
Pool - Swim
Pottery Studio - Do Pottery, Browse and Buy Items, Attend Classes and Lectures
Recreation Center - Play Table Games, Work Out, Paint, Play On Playground Equipment
Shop - Browse and Buy Items
Spa - Do Spa Activities
Tattoo Parlor - Get Tattooed
University Commons - Do Homework, Read, Play Physical Games, Play Video Games, Be Friendly

TARGET CUSTOMERS
These are customer demographics and again take their cue from the Club system [GT].

New detail with this pack - the rules can be strict (specifically ONLY these customers) or loose (these customers preferred, but other Sims also welcome). So you could have a business ONLY attract Teens, but might run out of new customers quickly unless you create more Teens, or they are spawned via other gameplay. Preferring Teens usually spawns Teens until the save runs out, then calls in other customers to make up numbers.
When "Make Selected Criteria Required" is checked, Sims MUST meet this requirement to visit the lot as a customer. When unchecked they will have priority, but other Sims can come to make up numbers later.
The Target Customer Criteria are the same as for Club Requirements (inc. newly patched in Occult filter and updated Financial Status brackets), with the addition of one more category of customers - Supervised Customers:
Target Customer UI is similar to the Club Requirements UI.
These are customers that need to be brought to the venue by a Caregiver Sim aged Teen+. Once at the venue the Caregiver will either stay on the lot and enjoy the facilities, or drop off their charge and leave before picking them up later. Staying at the business is the default, but the box can be unchecked.
Sims will arrive with children and pets, and either stay on the Small Business lot with them or leave them in your care. (Note: Cats and Dogs come with the Cats & Dogs EP. Horses come with the Horse Ranch EP)
SimsMegaDeluxe
Rising Hotshot
2 months ago
My question is, how does this pack compare to Sims 2: Open for Business? Please compare and contrast with OFB, detailing the relative strengths and weaknesses of the pack. EmmaVane
EmmaVane
Seasoned Ace
2 months ago
SMALL BUSINESS SYSTEM

BUSINESS LOGOS/ICONS
There are 30 premade Small Business graphics to choose from. Each of these are available as either a black, white or coloured version decal in BB, so your signage can match the icon if you wish.
Pick from 30 Small Business logos.

SMALL BUSINESS MAP ICONS
There are new Map Icons for Small Business Venues and Home Businesses. Small Business Venue lots have a large open sign icon, whereas Home Businesses have the normal Plumbob icon for occupied homes, with a smaller, inset open sign icon.
Small Business Venue.Residential (Small Business)
EmmaVane
Seasoned Ace
2 months ago
I'm adding subjects to the index to remind me to test/get pictures and I add links as I post about it. Let me know if I'm missing anything.

It's midnight here, so I'll continue with this tomorrow.
EgonVM
Seasoned Ace
2 months ago
Thanks for the answers.
I am wondering two more things:
What are the employee activities you can set?
If you hire a playable sim from other household, will they lose their employee status when you play with them? They do in other business types, but don't in The Sims 2 Open for Business.
EgonVM
Seasoned Ace
2 months ago
EmmaVane wrote:
(inc. newly patched in Occult filter and updated Financial Status brackets)
Interesting... The Finance Status brackets are same in the Club Requirement setting, at least for me...
Could you share how are these in Small Businesses?
EmmaVane
Seasoned Ace
2 months ago
They are the same in Small Businesses. The Financial Status brackets were updated in the patch earlier this week. They now match the low and high thresholds introduced as Turn-Ons/Turn-Offs (Broke/Wealthy) in the Lovestruck EP.

The original brackets are still up on the Fandom Wiki though, and were as follows:
Poor: less than §10,000
Middle Class: (§10,000 - §30,000)
Wealthy: more than §30,000
Simmerville
Legend
2 months ago
Thanks for doing this!
I'm curious to learn more about the difference of visiting a standard community lot bar and visiting a small business bar on a split business/residential lot. I mean when the visiting sim lives elsewhere. Assuming there might be a few actions reserved for when the owning household plays, but does it feel okay as a visiting guest?
Also, what do the lot icons in world view look like - is it easy to tell residential small business lots from ordinary residential and community lots?
EmmaVane
Seasoned Ace
2 months ago
SMALL BUSINESS SYSTEM

Can I have a Home Business if I live in _____ ?

✅ Apartment [CL/EL]
✅ Haunted House Residential [P]
✅ Penthouse Lots [CL/LS]
✅ Residential
❌ Residential Rental [FR]
✅Tiny Home Residential [TL]
❌University Housing [DU]
✅Waterfront Lots [IL]

You can have a Home Business on nearly every type of housing, as shown above. In game these are named as Residential (Small Business), specifically on a Residential lot/Tiny Home Residential (Small Business), specifically on a Tiny Home lot etc - Collectively, I'm going to refer to the Housing & Small Business combination as Home Businesses.

When playing as the Business Owner household there are no loading screens between areas on Home Business lots. When visiting as a Customer you have no access to Residential/Employee areas, even if the doors aren't locked or unlockable access, such as an archway, is used. When visiting as a Guest of the household, you have access to anywhere you aren't locked out of, including Public/Employee areas.

What about a Small Business elsewhere?

You can have a Small Business Venue (business on separate lot) no matter where you live.