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Test Subject
Original Poster
#1 Old 5th Feb 2012 at 1:19 PM
Default Business Ideas Anyone?
Hi! I've got a family of two married adults and I'm planning to have them have children. I was wondering if anyone could give me an example of a home business that's easy to be ran by a single sim and that can bring a decent amount of money. Thankyou very much! :D
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Theorist
#2 Old 5th Feb 2012 at 1:31 PM
The easiest to run by a single sim is any bandatron business, no doubt. Let other sims party while your sims do what they wish.

As for income, if you have Seasons: fishing and selling fish is very good, because you don't need to invest money into restocking anything. I had some of my sims cook fish dishes and sell them for better profit than raw fish, the money is excellent. This business would require more than one sim to run, but it always covers its own expenses very well.
Banned
#3 Old 5th Feb 2012 at 1:50 PM
Well, there was the time when I ran a home-based bookstore with a single Sim. The business was actually pretty successful, and the owner won "Best of Business" award. The business income, along with the owner's personal income from her career, made the family become quite well-off. She married a woman, and they adopted a little girl (child). Then, I quit the game and never played it again.
Test Subject
#4 Old 5th Feb 2012 at 2:50 PM
The easiest business I ever had was a tea room! You just place a couple of tea tables in a room and a ticket machine and let the business run itself! You'll need a toilet too, 'cause what goes in must come out! The customers are always happy and you don't even have to work (except for some toilet cleaning every now and then). My business was always open, so my sims earned their money literally in their sleep!!
Lab Assistant
#5 Old 5th Feb 2012 at 3:01 PM
The easiest business I have made was an arcade. I just started off with like... 3 machines, and the bandatron machine, and left it running 24-7. It grew to level 10 pretty quickly, but also started lagging my lot a ton so I eventually closed it and moved it to a community lot.
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retired moderator
#6 Old 5th Feb 2012 at 4:33 PM
If your sims are lucky enough to have a hot tub, you could open up a spa with a bandatron. Sims love a hot tub! Whatever entertainment items your sims have in their house (games console, chess table etc.,) can be used to tempt customers in and be paid for with the bandatron.
Test Subject
Original Poster
#7 Old 5th Feb 2012 at 4:41 PM
Wow! these are some great ideas! Thanks everyone!!!!!
Field Researcher
#8 Old 5th Feb 2012 at 9:06 PM
Quote: Originally posted by lil_princess_of_evil
The easiest business I have made was an arcade. I just started off with like... 3 machines, and the bandatron machine, and left it running 24-7. It grew to level 10 pretty quickly, but also started lagging my lot a ton so I eventually closed it and moved it to a community lot.


I'm so trying this!! Would be great fun!

Hi, I'm Camilla, and I'm a Sims 2 addict!
Lab Assistant
#9 Old 5th Feb 2012 at 11:07 PM
Quote: Originally posted by lil_princess_of_evil
The easiest business I have made was an arcade. I just started off with like... 3 machines, and the bandatron machine, and left it running 24-7. It grew to level 10 pretty quickly, but also started lagging my lot a ton so I eventually closed it and moved it to a community lot.


I wonder how much you could achieve with a poker table........since sims never leave lol

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Instructor
#10 Old 6th Feb 2012 at 4:17 AM
Quote: Originally posted by minpinz
I wonder how much you could achieve with a poker table........since sims never leave lol


Lots and lots. It's my favorite thing for a BAC founder. I usually have two floors, the living area is on the second floor (first for Brits) and the ground floor starts with just a bandatron, the table, and some comfortable chairs. Eventually, I get in bathrooms, shower stalls, another poker table and a pool table. These pretty much run themselves and never need to close down. Once you can afford it (and it will be soon), hire a maid to keep the place clean.

(One bandatron poker table started in the front yard - it was a pretty low-class area - with a cheap outdoor shower and toilet stall.)
Lab Assistant
#11 Old 6th Feb 2012 at 7:19 AM
Why not just set up a few bubble blowers and the ticket machine. Sims love that bubble blower (hell visitor's to the houses that have those bubble blowers won't leave that thing alone).
Theorist
#12 Old 6th Feb 2012 at 7:42 AM
Quote: Originally posted by lil_princess_of_evil
The easiest business I have made was an arcade. I just started off with like... 3 machines, and the bandatron machine, and left it running 24-7. It grew to level 10 pretty quickly, but also started lagging my lot a ton so I eventually closed it and moved it to a community lot.

In my experience it takes forever to reach level 10 with a bandatron business. You say it's quick for you, so I wonder what the speed depends on. E.g. I had a business with a poker room with bowling inside joined with a self-serving restaurant (buffet and tables). It really did took me forever to earn even level 9, the star gain was slow.

Btw, there are some useless objects that sims never use, sauna is one of them. I tried putting a few of them in an attempt to make a real sauna house, but sims always ignore them.
Instructor
#13 Old 6th Feb 2012 at 12:44 PM
For me, it works best if I start with very few 'activity' things. I've reached level 5 in the first night with my poker table. First, I start off with just the poker table and a cheap stereo in a fairly large room (for expansion). I keep the bandatron on cheap in order to lure people in and work towards getting the cash bonuses. I'll raise the price only after the place seems to catch on. With the cash bonuses I can start making the pub (and home area) nicer. I don't go over two poker tables and never have food or drink. By the end of the week, I'll have a sort of dance area by the cheap stereo, a pool table or two, a dart board and chess table, and a couple comfy couches. And bathrooms - 2 toilets and a shower each in a private 1x2 room.

Also, I've never done a non-home bandatron business. I think those would take longer because you would need to close so the sim can go home to sleep etc.
Field Researcher
#14 Old 6th Feb 2012 at 4:41 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Babahara
In my experience it takes forever to reach level 10 with a bandatron business. You say it's quick for you, so I wonder what the speed depends on. E.g. I had a business with a poker room with bowling inside joined with a self-serving restaurant (buffet and tables). It really did took me forever to earn even level 9, the star gain was slow.


I charted out all the customer loyalty boosts once and almost every one is related to retail sales. The key to a good bandatron business is actively selling to people thinking about buying tickets, short-term and long-term relationship building, and a high Environment score.

On my site I have dozens more Sims 2 mods. These mods come with no support so use them at your own risk.
Lab Assistant
#15 Old 6th Feb 2012 at 6:38 PM
Something i don't know if people do, but helps is to have a phone in the business, and then have your Sim use it to call his or her friends and invite them (invite household is great for this) to the business instead of waiting for customers to generate. Then you get a ton of customers beyond the number that the game generates, and you can increase your sales, and relationship scores at the same time as those invite someone over wants.
Lab Assistant
#16 Old 7th Feb 2012 at 5:35 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Deryn
Something i don't know if people do, but helps is to have a phone in the business, and then have your Sim use it to call his or her friends and invite them (invite household is great for this) to the business instead of waiting for customers to generate. Then you get a ton of customers beyond the number that the game generates, and you can increase your sales, and relationship scores at the same time as those invite someone over wants.


And finally I understand the point of the Networking business perks. Thank you.
Test Subject
#17 Old 7th Feb 2012 at 5:57 AM
With that pay-by-the-hour ticket thing (forgot the name) you can have a business where there's no business. They will stay if you have things to play with, and the more there is, the more they'll stay. You can keep them out of your living space too by locking the door. The most recent one I had was a flower shop/garden+ticket thing going on. However, they never bought my Snapdragons, they just kept smelling the flowers for hours and hours. I still made good money, but I was sad to see none of my flowers being sold.

Another one I've done was a back porch cafe(ticket thing still). My Sim would clean up after the Sims who visited and it went over nicely. I personally like the businesses as opposed to getting jobs. Not only do you make money at a better rate (not a crap ton like when you work a job) you get little by little throughout the entire week/whenever you're business is open. Your Sim(s) never has to leave their house. :D
Test Subject
#18 Old 7th Sep 2012 at 11:05 PM
For my one buisness, I put a item of a type ( For me it was a potion shop) and type in 'boolprop testingcheatsenabled true' then Shift+Click on a sim, click spawn, then clic 'Badge Juicer' and give your sim gold of the following badges: Cashiering, Sales, and Restocking. Those are the most important things for a buisness, unless ou open a salon or something, because then you need Cosmotology, Toy Making, ect. I suppose it wont make money as quick as you may want, but you will begin to get more and more customers, hence making more money.
Inventor
#19 Old 8th Sep 2012 at 12:55 AM
"Second-hand" shop, one of my sims owns an antique shop, I downloaded a bunch of old looking stuff and he's made a lot more money than he would if he had a job.

I also have a sim that owns a small electronic shop, he sells used TVs and stereos and microwaves hehe.

A couple of my sims also own a light shop called 'The Lighthouse' and it is just full of lamps and lights and such.

Also in my many subhoods there are petshops, scrap metal dealers, florists, hairdressers, bakeries, tiny convenient stores, old vintage clothes stores, there's even a shop that sells prairie styled things, a shop that sells crystals , a shop run by a good witch who makes everything herself and makes loads of cash selling thrones and potions and such, I have a fisherman who owns a stall to sell his fish, I have a farmers market type lot that's run by different families that all live together, and so on so forth.

Oh yes, there's even a bus dealership that sells vehicles that are no longer needed for public transport. :P
Forum Resident
#20 Old 8th Sep 2012 at 1:04 AM
The easiest business I know of requires only a jacuzzi and a ticket machine. Once your sim has Dazzle, set the ticket cost something obscene -- I've gone as high as $10,000 -- and then dazzle sims into coming on board. They'll get in the tub, and you can milk `em. Should work with the hot tub that's buyable with aspiration points, meaning the only simoleon cost is for the ticket machine, the open-closed sign, and the room itself..
Top Secret Researcher
#21 Old 8th Sep 2012 at 1:31 AM Last edited by Fivey : 8th Sep 2012 at 6:31 AM.
Quote: Originally posted by smellincoffee
The easiest business I know of requires only a jacuzzi and a ticket machine. Once your sim has Dazzle, set the ticket cost something obscene -- I've gone as high as $10,000 -- and then dazzle sims into coming on board. They'll get in the tub, and you can milk `em. Should work with the hot tub that's buyable with aspiration points, meaning the only simoleon cost is for the ticket machine, the open-closed sign, and the room itself..


Snapdragons + Hot Tubs + Overpriced Bandatron + Dazzle = MONEY EVERYWHERE.

Ponsonby is the local sleazy businessman (these days, less on the sleazy) in my game, so any experience I get about businesses, it's from playing him. Or Circe, who has a robot business.

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Asks are always open, even to anons. I will always reply to asks, and I do my best to be cordial/less snarky than usual.
Instructor
#22 Old 8th Sep 2012 at 6:02 AM
My first business was selling baby items (cribs, toys, etc). At the time, I didn't know about "wholesale" mode so my sim was literally making 1 or 2 simoleons on each sell...anyway, once I got the hang of OFB and my Sim learned "Dazzle", she closed the baby business and opened a car dealership. That was the most sucessful business I ever had. She was making 50,000 simoleons a day with no cheats. I put a poker table on the lot, so after the customers were finished buying 3 or 4 cars apiece, they'd sit at the poker table and gain loyalty stars.

I have never had a home business or used the bandatron. Hmmm, something I might try real soon.
Instructor
#23 Old 8th Sep 2012 at 6:30 AM
You could do a makeover business. Sell clothes to townies whom desperately need them- although I personally leave Goopy alone! Add a makeover station, it's up to you if want to charge for it. Add a bubble machine, and a couple of treadmills, Sims love those! Also add other sellable items, like perfume, and dog collars, and of course the ticket meter.If you have AL,you can also add vending machines. It's a slow business, but once the increase in customers start, you can add jacuzzi's,and I assume a massage table? Maybe a sauna and tv? Also chess tables,dart boards, and a stereo, are crowd pleasers!

Bakeries, are also popular and a baby store, where you sell baby furniture, potties, and toys-both in buy mode, and also crafted ones. Again adding music, bubble blower,chess table, I have added a treadmill to these types of businesses, due to the fact, that the longer a customer stays and is happy. The faster the money comes in, and also the level and stars rise! Always have the ticket meter!

BTW, does anyone know where I can find a mod that only hires townies, and does not add playables as possible employee's? I know I saw it somewhere,but I can't remember where?
Top Secret Researcher
#24 Old 8th Sep 2012 at 6:32 AM Last edited by Fivey : 8th Sep 2012 at 6:44 AM.
Quote: Originally posted by The SimWhisperer
BTW, does anyone know where I can find a mod that only hires townies, and does not add playables as possible employee's? I know I saw it somewhere,but I can't remember where?


I believe that is a Pescado hack. Lemme find it.

EDIT: This?

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Asks are always open, even to anons. I will always reply to asks, and I do my best to be cordial/less snarky than usual.
Instructor
#25 Old 8th Sep 2012 at 6:59 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Fivey
I believe that is a Pescado hack. Lemme find it.

EDIT: This?


Thank you Fivey! I believe this is the hack, time will tell though. I'm not at an open for business stage yet.
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