Creating a business

[Marishkah]

Okay, I just recently built a new type venue. It's under generic because it has several types of venues inside the same building. I wanted something for my single Sim to do while she is off work, and there isn't really anything available out there, except karaoke/bars. My question being; Do I have to actually run this place, or is there a way to have another Sim run it solo? I have no clue really, as I have never done this before lol
Thanks for any and all help!

[Playalot]

Lots will only work if they are allocated the specific name. i.e. a retail shop will only work for game-play functions as a retail shop if the lot says that.

Generic lots are only good for parks really or lots that you want to make that don't exisit in the game presently such a graveyards etc.

Carl's written an expansive guide on how to Run  Business Here (click).

[Marishkah]

Ah okay. Makes sense. I just didn’t know how to name this lot. I added two food vendors (the mobile ones), and like festivals, I was hoping a vendor would man those stations. But as I found out....got to pay for them.
Thanks for the help

[Marishkah]

Oh wait, maybe what I am wanting to know is... can you just add business's in each world without actually running them. It would be like EA generated lots?
Also, I wish we could have a business on a lot we are playing on...
I remember  making a store in Sims 2 or maybe it was 3, I can't remember but would be cool if we could do it now.

[Playalot]

Yes, you can build your own retail business store out of anything you want, play it briefly to mark all the items up for sale and then just simply sell it and leave it as an NPC run lot that your own played sims can visit. 

It would be fun to have multi use lots but unfortunately you can not do this in TS4. Your sim can live on your retail lot, say in an upstairs section and this works fine with locked doors. But you do also need to have a residential lot that your sims bills will be sent to and where children/teens go home to after school and where babies live on. But you can manage this by using the 'bring here' feature on the children/teens on their away icon/face.  Just remember the retail lot must be marked as this type for the shop to function.

[reggikko]

You can sort of have multi-use lots. For example, if you build a lot with all required objects for a restaurant and nightclub or cafe, you can switch the lot type anytime you want to make it one or the other. I've done this and it seems to work very well. It's a good way to maximize community lot choice while minimizing the number of lots they take up. You just have to make sure the required items for each lot type are present.

[Playalot]

@reggikko  That's a neat idea.

I have had issues with lot type swapping in the past and now I have a residential lot that NPC sims are always inviting my sims to... as a restaurant! It was a restaurant, bulldozed it and built a small cottage... but no matter how many times I delete the lot and replace the residential house the game insists on recognizing it as a restaurant.

[Marishkah]

I just wanted to have a spot for my sims (any of them) to go and have fun.. The thing that bothered me was the food stalls/carts. Why can't you add them to any lot and they be auto-manned? I think I mentioned this in the base post, but..like festivals have food stalls and they are auto-manned. You would think they would have fixed this by now? I read on the Sims community forum, that a lot of people were complaining about this problem.  I would rather not use a mod to change this, any idea if it will be fixed?
But it is nice to be able to sell anything you want basically!
Thank you for the help!

[Marishkah]

@reggikko  That's a neat idea.

I have had issues with lot type swapping in the past and now I have a residential lot that NPC sims are always inviting my sims to... as a restaurant! It was a restaurant, bulldozed it and built a small cottage... but no matter how many times I delete the lot and replace the residential house the game insists on recognizing it as a restaurant.

Oh wow! I wonder why it is doing this? That is weird.. I added a vet with an apartment on the top level, and also the multi purpose venue I have now, do you think it will do the same?

[Playalot]

No, chances are your lots will be fine. I'm forever testing and pushing the game so it's probably user-error in some way. Funny though, when my sims get invited there everyone just stands outside the house doing nothing lol

[Marishkah]

No, chances are your lots will be fine. I'm forever testing and pushing the game so it's probably user-error in some way. Funny though, when my sims get invited there everyone just stands outside the house doing nothing lol

LOL I seen this when my want to be Dr Sim invited her friends to check out bowling.. two of them joined her in a game, the other two went and did things on their own, even though they was still grouped.
I am not sure how many can play a game though.
But yeah, it's funny when they just stand around lol

[Playalot]

4 sims can bowl at a time so maybe your group was too large. I'm a little perverse like that though, my game wants to send my sims to 'Restaurant Cottage'..well go right ahead. Good luck with that one game! 

[Marishkah]

4 sims can bowl at a time so maybe your group was too large. I'm a little perverse like that though, my game wants to send my sims to 'Restaurant Cottage'..well go right ahead. Good luck with that one game! 

I think my group was 5? Thanks for that info though.
What is a "Restaurant Cottage"? lol

[Marishkah]

You can sort of have multi-use lots. For example, if you build a lot with all required objects for a restaurant and nightclub or cafe, you can switch the lot type anytime you want to make it one or the other. I've done this and it seems to work very well. It's a good way to maximize community lot choice while minimizing the number of lots they take up. You just have to make sure the required items for each lot type are present.

I didn't see an option to buy/run a nightclub or cafe/restaurant? Can you do this?

[Playalot]

What is a "Restaurant Cottage"? lol

The name of my residential lot was 'Cottage' so NPC sims call up and now invite my sims to 'Restaurant Cottage'.