Do you want to start a Sims 2 business but you want to go niche? If YES, here are 18 best profitable Sims 2 business ideas & opportunities.
The Sims 2 is a 2004 strategic life simulation video game built and developed at the Redwood Shores studio of Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. The Sims 2 offers many different ways to start bringing in the simoleons. Depending on your Sims’ goals, it may be easier to pick one type of business than another.
In The Sims 2: Open for Business, Sims can use the phone or computer to either start a business at home or buy a community lot.
However, if a university is installed, businesses cannot be located in the sub-neighbourhoods. A must-have item for any business is the open/closed sign. Coupled with allowing members of the owner’s household to open and close the business, it allows them to call in employees and to send them home.
Although Sims can choose which community lot to travel to, lots owned by a household member will be marked with a small green sign. While visiting a lot owned by a household member, Sims will be able to do things such as restock the shelves, purchase items at wholesale, hire employees, be the cashier, etc.
Businesses in Sims 2 can be categorized into three basic types. Most businesses are shops, which sell goods and services, but there are also venues, which give Sims the opportunity to fill various motives on a “pay-to-stay” basis. Sims can also own restaurants, which are considered a third- type of business.
Best Sims 2 Business ideas
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Buying and selling
Indeed the sole purpose of a business is to buy and sell, whether it is entertainment, make-over, and food – anything. Sims are more likely to want to buy things that have lower prices and lower mark-ups, so it is advisable to have at least one controllable Sim available to direct them to more expensive items.
Note that they will not do this autonomously; it must be directed by the player. In addition, customers may come in not knowing what they want, in which case a controllable Sim can use the “May I Help You?” interaction. An employee assigned to sales may do this autonomously, but probably won’t, so players need to watch for customers who need to be helped.
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Toy Making and Selling Business
Toy Making was first inculcated into Open for Business to allow players run toy stores and offer a wider range of Fun objects. These items are usually for children and toddlers, though some can be used by older Sims.
When a Sim starts making a toy, the player can customize its appearance; there are several choices for each toy. Gaining a badge level allows a Sims to make one or two new types of toys. High mechanical skills help with this badge, and creativity can also be helpful.
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Robotics
In The Sims 2, Sims can leverage the Robot Crafting Station to construct robots, earning talent badge points along the way. At Gold level, Sims can build the Servo, an advanced and intelligent robot that can be used for chores around the house.
Robots can be sold from a Sims inventory, directly from the Robot Crafting Station, or in a Sims-owned business. Note that crafting a robot costs a certain amount of Simoleons for every robot started, depending on the type of robot being built. Some bots can only be built after getting the bronze, silver, or gold-level badge.
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Fashion and Stylist Business
Cosmetology is a talent badge from Open for Business. With the Ug-No-More Makeover Station, a Sims can give makeovers to other Sims.
A Sims Cosmetology level determines how likely they are to give a successful makeover. Also, as a Sims badge level increases, the animations will change to reflect the Sims increasing skill. High cleaning skill helps in gaining cosmetology badge level.
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Sewing
Sewing is the only crafting activity in The Sims 2 that Sims do while seated. Sims can sew many craft items, including teddy bears, quilts, and customized clothing. When telling a Sims to sew an item, the player can give it a name and description, or can accept the default.
Sims can build the Sewing Talent Badge by sewing many projects. Having high creativity will make Sims earn this badge faster! Also note that Sims may want to sew a project, especially if they have made progress in Sewing.
Actualizing this want may trigger a want to buy a sewing machine, even if the project was sewn at home. All sewn objects appear in the sewer’s inventory when completed, even if the Sims was only making a single object. This means that Sims will take items sewn on the Arts and Crafts hobby lot home with them, even though a Sims inventory cannot be accessed on hobby lots.
Sewing anything other than a potholder is time-consuming and can be hard on motives, but can be profitable. While all sewn objects except outfits and customized outfits can fail, sewing is the only craft in which failed objects are not sold at a loss, though they will sell for less than successfully made objects.
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Restaurants
In The Sims 2, Sims can own a restaurant. However, a restaurant is the least profitable of all business types. Note that an owned restaurant will not spawn any host, server, or cook. These positions must be filled by members of the owner’s household, or by employees.
Customers will order while standing near the podium instead of while sitting. They will also have a sales bar while ordering, and sales interactions can be used on them. Note that this can only be done by a manager or a member of the owner’s household; an employee cannot be assigned to do it.
Hosts benefit from having a high sales badge, and servers benefit from having high body skill. Remember that the owner has to set the price and plan the menu before the restaurant is opened.
The cook’s cooking skill should be considered when planning the menu. A restaurant cook can prepare all meals, but will always burn anything that requires more than his or her level cooking skill, and burnt food will damage customer loyalty.
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Clothing racks
In a Sims-owned business, clothing racks become point-of-sale objects which allow the business to sell clothes. However, a side-effect of this is that all outfits sold from a rack in an owned business have the same price, regardless of their normal cost.
Pricing appears to be based on the normal §200 cost of Everyday outfits. Note that if the lot is being played as a business, a controllable Sims can suggest a type of clothing to a customer. If this sale is successful, a selection dialog for the customer’s age and gender will open, and the player can select the outfit which the Sims will buy.
If every day was suggested, the player will be able to select a top and bottom, or a complete outfit. This dialog is different from the normal Buy dialog in several ways. Once the outfit is paid for, it will be set as the Sims current outfit of that type, so if it is the type of clothing the Sims is wearing, he or she will change into it.
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Gardening
Planting seeds requires a gardening plot that can be bought for §10 in the Build mode’s Gardening Centre. The plot can then be fertilized with a bag of fertilizer (§10) or compost (free with a compost bin). The plot does not have to be fertilized, but fertilizing yields better results. Next plant a seed. Sims no longer needs to travel to community lots to buy seeds, but they are charged for them.
After planting a seed, water it, tend it, and spray it with pesticides until it is ready to be harvested. Sims can grow apples, oranges, and lemons by planting orchard trees, which cost §1200. Orchard trees are bought “as is” from Build mode’s Gardening Centre rather than grown from seeds.
When a plant is ready to be harvested, clicking “Harvest” will put the fruit and vegetables in the Sims inventory to be stocked in a fridge or juicer. Once a fridge is stocked, food made from that fridge will have sparkles around it (meaning it was made with home grown fruit and veggies).
It gives Sims a comfort boost as well as filling their hunger quicker than normal. Clicking on “Sell Produce” will automatically sell the produce for Simoleons. If Open for Business is installed, home grown fruit and vegetables can be placed on sale in the game
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Fish Business
In the game, fish types include: Boot, Largemouth Bass, Blue Catfish, Rainbow Trout and the elusive Golden Trout. Note that all have “Jumbo” varieties as well; however, Golden Trout does not possess a ‘small’ size, and there is only one size of Boot (Size 11) as well. The amount of money each fish can be sold for includes:
- Boot: §15
- Largemouth Bass: §33
- Blue Catfish: §49
- Jumbo Largemouth Bass: §61
- Rainbow Trout: §87
- Jumbo Blue Catfish: §124
- Jumbo Rainbow Trout: §221
- Golden Trout: §518
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Medicine and Virus Shop
In The Sims 2, you can make a White Potion with the “Concoctanation Station” chemistry, which can cure a sickness. The medicine made with the SimSanto Inc.
Biotech Station can cut down the resting time needed to be cured of a sickness, though a Sims with low logic skill and/or who is in a bad mood can create a virus instead. A Sims with very high logic can use the Biotech Station to deliberately make a virus.
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Car Dealership
The Show My Ride Display allows players to place cars on owned community lots, which makes it possible for a Sims to go into business as a car dealer. Since it only functions as a display surface, Sims cannot drive onto it or off of it. Note that a Sims who buys a car from a business will not be able to use it until the player takes it out of the Sims inventory and places it on a driveway.
While the display can be placed on an un-owned community lot, cars cannot be purchased on community lots until Wholesale mode is enabled. A car dealership, as such, cannot be run from an un-owned community lot, and can only be stocked on owned community lots.
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Art and Craft Shop
Using the pottery wheel, a Sims can raise the Arts and Crafts hobby enthusiasm and create new items. The items can then be displayed in the Sims home or sold.
Sims who wishes to engulf their lives with Pottery can find that they can make all kinds of different items. Sims can customize the design, colour, name, and description of the objects they make. Sims with a higher creativity skill gets pottery badges sooner.
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Massage Therapist
By default, all Sims know the Swedish massage. Each vacation destination has its own unique massage, which Sims can receive for §100 or learn for §500 from the masseuse. Note that learning a massage will let Sims give it to other Sims, and get a vacation memento.
They cannot, however, teach it to other Sims. The massages are Deep Tissue Massage from Three Lakes, Acupressure Massage from Takemizu Village, and Hot Stone Massage from Twikkii Island. Massages are given via the Soft’n’Tender Massage Table.
Only an adult or elder can give or receive a massage. If there are more than two adults or elders on a lot, clicking on the massage table will allow the selected Sims to give a massage to a specified Sims, or ask another Sims to give them a massage.
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Restored Junk Car Sales
Note that working on the car builds Mechanical skill, but only half as quickly as studying, and also builds enthusiasm for the Tinkering hobby. A Sims can work on the body or on the engine, and one Sims can work on the body while another works on the engine.
If the car is not being worked on, a Sims can rev the engine. Even though this does not appear to be required, it adds a touch of realism. Fully restoring either the body or engine takes about six game hours of labour, but Sims will probably need to take breaks, as working on the car is hard on the comfort, energy, and hygiene motives.
While a Sims is working on the engine, the engine may backfire and belch black smoke, which will cause the Sims to stop working on it. Once the car is fully restored, the player can click on it and select a paint option. After the Sims has finished painting the car, it will become the Awesome Customized Car, and will be drivable.
If the Sims had not previously finished restoring a car, he or she will also get a special memory. If the car is sold in Buy mode, it has an initial value of §5200. However, if “Open for Business” is installed, it can be sold in a business.
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Flower Shop
In The Sims 2: Open for Business, the talent badge is attained by arranging flowers using the “That Smells Great!” floral Workstation. As Sims craft more flowers, they will gain experience and eventually achieve the Talent Badge.
Note that higher level talent badges will enable Sims to arrange the flowers faster. It also unlocks more types of flower arrangements that can be crafted. These crafted flowers can be sold in a florist business. Higher Creativity skill will make Sims earn this badge faster.
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Pet Shops
This game allows the player to own pets such as dogs, cats, guinea pigs and birds, although only dogs and cats are fully customizable in the Create-A-Pet screen. There are 72 premade breeds of dog and over 30 premade breeds of cats. Pets don’t have the environmental motive; it is replaced by chewing for dogs and scratching for cats. Sims can also sell pets with the Open for Business expansion.
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Venues
Venues are places, such as clubs and arcades, which sell the opportunity to satisfy motives. Note that this is done through the Electrono-Ticket Machine, which allows the owner to charge Sims for staying on the lot.
Immediately the owner or a member of the owner’s household, has set a price and decided to start charging, potential customers will gather at the Electrono-Ticket Machine, and consider whether or not they want to come in. This works like making a sale in a shop, except that what is being sold is the idea of staying on the lot for a while.
Once the sale is made, the customer will go to the ticket machine, take a ticket, and enter the venue. While there, they will periodically be charged the ticket price.
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Vet clinics
Vet clinics work similarly with restaurants in terms of managing. Customers come in to get their pets to gain treatment, with the owner and the employees having the task to take them through rough stages of examining and keeping the pets calm.