10 unusual Small Business ideas for The Sims 4: Businesses and Hobbies

The Sims 4: Businesses and Hobbies added the ability for Sims to have their own Small Business running from their home plot. This opens up a world of possibilities, and the world is your oyster when it comes to what types of businesses you can open up. 

With a very long list of business activities to choose from when setting up your Sim’s Small Business, you can mix and match as much as you want to come up with something truly unique. Of course, you could stick to the more ‘normal’ options, like a Tattoo Studio or Pottery Shop, but there are endless opportunities for unique businesses.

Here are 10 more unusual ideas for Small Businesses in The Sims 4: Businesses and Hobbies, along with what business activities work best for the business idea. All activities mentioned are base game activities, unless otherwise stated.

Custom content was used in some of the images in this article.

Library

When it comes to a Small Business, a Library probably shouldn’t be top of the list if you’re hoping to be rolling in Simoleons. However, if you’re a bookworm and want something to be really proud of, you can easily open up a Library with an adjoining Coffee Shop or Art Gallery to boost sales while the business is open. 

Sims take a long time to read just a single book, so it’s a good idea to charge hourly for this one. Admittedly, that wouldn’t work for a Library in real life, but it works pretty well in The Sims. Just be warned: Sims are really bad at putting books back where they found them. 

For a basic Library without any additions, the best Small Business activities are:

• Read
• Browse the Web
• Do Research (requires Discover University) or Program
• Do Homework
• Write

Laundromat

If you’ve got the Laundry Day Stuff Pack, then you’ll be able to place both Washers and Dryers into your Small Business, and Sims will pay to use them to do their laundry. You don’t even need to include anything else, but you could also stick a Coffee Shop on the side if you want to provide refreshments for Sims while their clothes rotate in the drums of the machines.

To make a functional Laundromat, you only really need to select one business activity. The “Do Laundry” activity becomes available as long as you have the Laundry Day Stuff Pack. Outside of that, the choice is yours, depending on what else you have on the premises. 

Internet Café

Whether you want somewhere for Sims to increase their programming skill, play video games, or even learn how to hack, an Internet Café is remarkably easy to set up. All you need is a bunch of computers set up and ready to use, but it’s also a good idea to have some food and drinks on-site to keep customers around. 

You can do that with a Coffee Shop, which would boost sales, or just have a kitchen set up for customers to use. Either way, here’s the best setup for business activities for a basic Internet Café with no extras:

• Browse the Web
• Program
• Hack
• Do Research (requires Discover University) or Write
• Play Video Games

Junk Store:

If you want to set up a Junk Store, you’ll need to begin the process before you even consider what activities you’ll need, and this business idea works well with the Rags to Businesses challenge. The one rule of a Junk Store is that you can only sell things you find for free within the worlds you have unlocked. 

As such, you only really need to have the “Browse and Buy Items” activity selected to make this functional, but if you add anything on the side (like a Coffee Shop), you’ll need to add additional activities. 

Cat Café

Of all the ideas on this list, this one requires you to have the most additional packs, but it’s so worth it, because cats are adorable. You can fill the space with cat items and pack in the tables, drawing sims in with feline fun. It’s a good idea to create a specific sim for this, with traits such as “Cat Lover” (requires Cats and Dogs) and “Animal Enthusiast” (requires Cottage Living).

If you want to open up a Cat Café of your own in The Sims 4, here’s the best activities set up:

• Care for Animals (requires Cottage Living)
• Play with Pets (requires Cats and Dogs)
• Drink Coffee or Drink Tea, depending on the facilities
• Eat
• Optional additional activity

Candy Store

One of the new things added to The Sims 4 with Business and Hobbies was the ability to make Candy using the Kate and Berry Sweet Treats Fabricator 3000. Not only is the Candy surprisingly filling, but it can also sell for a fair amount of Simoleons. If you’ve ever had a dream of being the next Willy Wonka, you can make your own Candy Store to sell your Candy Creations!

It’s a good idea to combine your Candy Store with some kind of drinks station and a small seating area, and you can also have multiple Treats Fabricators set up so that people can come in and make their own Candy, as well as buy yours. 

Here are the best activities set up for a Candy Store:

• Browse and Buy Items
• Eat
• Drink Tea or Drink Coffee
• Make Treats
• Optional additional activity

Art Gallery

Art is a huge draw in The Sims 4, and with the addition of Trashley and his Certified Art Collection, there’s never been a better time to set up an Art Gallery in the world of Nordhaven. It’s remarkably easy, and you can set up an additional area to offer lectures on artistic subjects such as Painting and Pottery. 

Here’s the best activity set up for an Art Gallery with additional teaching rooms:

• Browse and Buy Items
• View Collectables
• View Art
• Paint
• Do Pottery

Community Farm

This one is really out there and doesn’t even necessarily require a building, although you should definitely add one so that your Sim has somewhere to shelter at the end of the day. The Community Farm idea is filled with options, including whether or not to have animals or just gardening. 

This idea doesn’t necessarily require you to have Cottage Living to work, but it does help if you want to have some animals on the Farm. Here are the best activities I’ve found to make a Community Farm:

• Tend Garden
• Tend and Harvest Garden
• Care for Animals (requires Cottage Living)
• Flower Arranging (requires Seasons)
• Optional additional activity

Bowling Alley

What better way to spend the weekend than down at the Bowling Alley, playing a few games, drink from the bar in hand, then retiring to the arcade to play a few games? You can build a fully functional Bowling Alley in The Sims 4, but it does require you to have at least one additional pack. 

Here’s the setup of activities that will allow you to create a working Bowling Alley:

• Go Bowling (requires Bowling Night Stuff Pack)
• Play Arcade Machine (requires Get Together)
• Drink Bar Drinks
• Eat
• Listen to Music

Florist/Garden Center

This idea can go hand in hand with the Community Garden idea, if you want to set up an outdoor area for Sims to come and tend the plants with you. Or if you want a simple shop dedicated to sell flowers, you can just set up a Flower Arranging bench and create objects to sell. Either way, I can imagine the floral scent of this idea with little effort, and it’s very soothing. 

This is the best setup for activities for a Florist in The Sims 4, with an additional outdoor area for Sims to help you garden:

• Browse and Buy Items
• Tend Garden
• Tend and Harvest Garden
• Flower Arranging (requires Seasons)
• Optional additional activity

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