To start a small business in The Sims 4, you need the Businesses & Hobbies Expansion Pack and the base game. In Live Mode, open the Owned Businesses tab and choose Register Small Business; you can also start registration from the phone’s Business app or the computer’s Small Business category. Registration costs Simoleons. Then choose a lot, define what the business does and who it serves, and open it to customers.
Before you start
Businesses & Hobbies is an expansion pack for The Sims 4, released March 6, 2025. EA describes the purchase as a license for digital content, and the pack requires the base game. See the EA pack page for current product and availability details.
Register your business
- Open registration. In Live Mode, select the cash-register icon to open Owned Businesses, then choose Register Small Business. Or use the phone’s Business app or the computer’s Small Business category and select the same option.
- Set its identity and basics. Choose a name, description, and logo. Select Business Activities, target customers, and a lot. Set a Price Modifier to adjust prices for products and services. If your venue uses a ticket kiosk, you can also configure entrance fees.
- Choose the business location. You can operate at a Small Business Residential Lot (including your Sim’s home), a Business Venue Lot, or an existing Community Lot equipped with a ticket kiosk. You can buy a Business Venue Lot by phone or computer. If buying through Owned Businesses, register the business first.
EA’s Small Business guide documents the registration options and lot setup.
Choose activities and customers
Pick up to five Business Activities
Activities tell the game what customers can do at your business. You can choose up to five, start from a preset, and customize it. Presets include bars, gyms, libraries, lounges, museums, nightclubs, parks, pools, pottery studios, shops, and tattoo parlors. The official EA overview also mentions ideas such as galleries, pet cafés, dance clubs, arcades, karaoke bars, acting schools, spas, laundromats, and bowling alleys; some of these activities depend on owning the relevant additional pack.
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Set target-customer rules
Customer criteria can use age, traits, interests, and relationship status. A rule can be preferred or required: preferred criteria guide the kind of customers you want, while required criteria narrow who is eligible. If the game warns that your rules are too strict, loosen required criteria so more Sims can qualify.
Decide how customers pay
Charge for time or entry
For activity- or service-based businesses, place a ticket kiosk from Build Mode’s Appliances category. Choose whether it charges hourly, charges once, or is disabled. The entrance fee depends on business renown; the Price Modifier adjusts entrance fees as well as product and service prices.
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- Claim the crown: Rise through Nobility by winning the people, pleasing rival Nobles, dueling with swords, or exposing Scandals that can change the balance of power.
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Sell products
Place items on Retail Surfaces to offer them for sale. Customers can buy those items even if you have not selected the Browse and Buy Items activity.
Run classes
Classes are goal-based events, and attendees do not pay unless the class earns at least a Bronze reward. As The Sims Team put it in its February 18, 2025 pack announcement, updated February 25, 2025: “Classes are Events that have Goals, so beware that attendees will not pay if the Class does not earn at least a Bronze reward.”
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Set up the lot and open for business
On a Small Business lot, rooms can be marked Public, Employees Only, or Residential. Residential zoning is available only on Small Business Residential Lots, making that lot type the home-business option. A household can own multiple Business Venue Lots, but only one business can be open at a time.
Run the business and manage staff
Use Owned Businesses > Manage Employees to hire and manage workers. A business can have up to three employees in addition to its owner. Set each employee’s hourly pay to low, medium, or high, and assign up to five tasks per employee.
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- Open Your Dream Business - Dream big and create a small business that will leave your Sim feeling fulfilled. Make and sell pottery or other crafts, provide a service like tattoos or classes, or come up with something unique. Use the selection tool to designate space in your home for doing what you love and making a living at it. With the new Ticket Kiosk you can run the business you want, charging customers for entry or for time spent. Run a family business and hire your Sim’s household, or meet the perfect candidate and offer them a job. Explore the possibilities with the new Small Business system
- Make Your Mark - With the new Tattooing skill you can give Sims pre-made, custom, or dedication tattoos. As you level up your skill you’ll unlock more stamps and stencils, and increase the odds of excellent results. Body art is about freedom of expression and to celebrate that you can now freely create your own designs in Tattoo Paint Mode. Tattoos can even be layered. Share your custom Tattoo designs with other Simmers using the Gallery, or browse for Tattoos to use in your game.
- Mold Your Future - As you hone your Pottery skill using the Pottery Wheel, more designs – like functional tea sets, planters, incense burners, and more – will become available to you. Finish your pieces in the Pottery Kiln; there are plenty of options for glazes. At higher levels of the Pottery skill, Sims can use the Japanese art of Kintsugi to create beautiful pieces from broken ceramics.
- A World of Possibility - Build your future in a town steeped in history. Nordhaven is the perfect place to pursue the things you care most about, like creative and inspiring hobbies. Sims can attend Meetups to mix and mingle with those who are passionate about the same hobbies – they may even find someone to mentor them in their favorite skill. Sims can become mentors at high skill levels, or they can build their legacy by hosting Classes and Lectures. Listening to a Lecture is one of the ways a Sim may earn Mastery Perks. Hobbies are best when shared, so explore the new neighborhoods of Gammelvik and Iverstad to meet like-minded Sims!
Choose staffing based on how much of the operation you want your Sim to handle. Running it alone or with household members avoids managing hired staff; employees can take on assigned tasks, but they add hourly payroll.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Pick a business model that fits your play
| Model | How it works | Best fit |
|---|---|---|
| Home business | Operate from a Small Business Residential Lot; designate residential rooms separately from public and employee-only areas. | Players who want their Sim to live and work on the same lot. |
| Dedicated venue | Buy a Business Venue Lot and run the business there. | Players who want a separate location for customers and activities. |
| Community venue | Use an existing Community Lot with a ticket kiosk. | Players adapting an existing public venue for paid access or activities. |
| Product sales | Offer merchandise on Retail Surfaces; customers can purchase it without the Browse and Buy Items activity. | Shops selling goods, including pottery or handmade items. |
| Admission or services | Use a kiosk for hourly or one-time charges, or disable its charge; set the Price Modifier for prices. | Activity- or service-focused businesses such as a gym, studio, or tattoo parlor. |
| Classes | Run goal-based events; attendees pay only when the class earns at least a Bronze reward. | Businesses centered on teaching or activities. |
As the business grows, it earns Business Perks and develops Business Renown and an Alignment along Dreamer, Schemer, or Neutral paths. These progression systems add choices beyond setting prices.
Quick Recap
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Troubleshoot a slow or unsuitable customer flow
- Few Sims qualify: Review required customer criteria first. Narrow age, traits, interests, or relationship status filters can sharply reduce the eligible pool.
- Customers are not paying for an activity: For admission or timed fees, check that a ticket kiosk is placed and charging is not disabled. For classes, payment requires at least a Bronze reward.
- Customers do not buy displayed goods: Make sure items are placed on Retail Surfaces; the Browse and Buy Items activity is not required for those sales.
- You cannot zone a room as Residential: Residential zoning is restricted to Small Business Residential Lots.
- You want to open another business: A household may own multiple Business Venue Lots, but only one business can be open at once.
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