Description
First of all, all these mods require Lot51's Core Library 1.37.1 or superior, I won't be giving support to people if it's clear they did not install this dependency.
Important: Compatible with Patch 1.121.342
Now to the juicy part. Have you ever dreamt of a better version of Small Businesses? Well, those dreams might come true with these mods. Small Businesses Overhaul is a series of five mods designed to enhance your experience with this new venue type. All of these mods are independent of each other, so you can install only the ones you want to use.
This entire mod is modular; you can delete the packages you don't want or need, except for the strings and main modules.
Important: I'm always happy to receive bug and issue reports; however, I've been receiving a lot of incomplete BE's that I cannot use to diagnose. If you are experiencing any issues, please upload the complete file to a hosting service that I can download from and tell me exactly what your Sims are doing when the LE's pop up or what I should do to reproduce it. Moving forwward, I will only take into consideration complete reports.
Changelog
Version 3.2.0.0
- The restocking and sale interactions should be restored now.
Version 3.1.0.2
- Added a small fix should solve the restocking autonomy issue.
Version 3.1.0.1
- Rolledback a few changes I made on version 3.1.0.0. This should finally solve the no interaction showing issue.
Version 3.1.0.0
- Replaced the previous "Restock Item" interaction with a new "Restock All Items" one. This interaction will automatically detect all objects that need to restock nearby and will make the Sim restock those items.
Version 3.0.0.4
- The restock interaction has been added back.
- The Restock All interaction has been removed. I'm working on another way to add it.
Version 3.0.0.3
- Deployed a hotfix for the Restock and Sale module not working. Please note that in the meantime, the restock interactions have been disabled, shift click on a sold object to restock it.
Version 3.0.0.2
- Added a test that should prevent Sims outside of the active lot to show in the Selling interactions pickers.
Version 3.0.0.1
- Fixed a long-lasting issue that prevented Get to Work shelves from working with this mod. If you had an issue where Sims would not use the GTW shelves for buying, this should solve it. Thank you @Kazuhiko793 for reporting this.
Version 3.0.0.0
- Starting from this version, you can now enable or disable the Sale state objects in retail displays.
- Included a new Sells system, check the detailed description below.
- Added a new Business Management Skill.
1. Restock and Sale (Requires GTW)
This module reintroduces restocking and selling mechanics similar to those from Get to Work. It lets players sell almost any item in the game and enables retail restocking. From version 3.0.0.0, it also adds a new five-level Business Management Skill.
This skill is fine-tuned to have a slow progession, so it might take a few real life hours for your Sims to reach its max level.
Some ways you can increase this skill are:
- Using the new Practice Business Management interaction on the mirror
- Use sell interactions (described below)
- Restocking items (described below)
- Pay for employee training: You'll find the options under the "Business Management Training" category on the pie menu. Each one offers more or less progress on the skill depending on its price. This interaction can only be performed by an owner during work hours.
Please note that you cannot pay for training for Sims if they have already reached level 5 of the skill or if you recently pay for training for that Sim.
Some perks of leveling up the skill are:
- Increases the speed of all crafting processes up to 20% (permanent benefit, if you use Cheats UI to revert the skill to a previous level, this benefit will be kept)
- Increases the amount of crafted restocking supplies from 2 to 4 (details below)
- Increases the success of selling interactions (details below)
- Makes restocking quicker (details below).
Please note that for the restocking and being able to sell part, this is not a plug-ann-play solution. After installing the mod, some setup is required:
First of all, you'll need to add the Browse and Buy Activity from the Business and Hobbies EP, otherwise, Sims will not buy goods.
You’ll need to use the new “Set For Sale” interaction to mark items as available for purchase.
Please note: this interaction will only appear on objects placed in areas designated as "Public".
From version 3.0.0.0, you can also control the sale availability of objects in retail surfaces individually. If needed, use the “Disable Sales” and “Enable Sales” options on the surface to refresh its status and ensure it updates correctly.
In already-built businesses, retail surface items should automatically receive the “For Sale” status after the first load
In version 1.0, sold objects were sent to the Sim’s inventory, and a restock sign appeared in their place. Version 2.0 keeps the inventory system, but changing the object’s model caused problems—such as swatch resets and glazed pottery reverting to clay. After consulting with Lot51, it became clear the issue couldn’t be resolved. So instead of changing the model, version 2.0 uses reduced opacity, a tint shift and adds a small tag effect to signal restocking
If the Sim is active, oversized or non-compatible inventory items will go to the household inventory. If the Sim is an NPC, compatible items will go directly into their personal inventory.
Non-compatible items cannot be sent to an NPC’s household inventory and will be removed. This prevents lag caused by accumulation over extended gameplay.
You can restock items in three ways: manually, by shift-clicking the sign to trigger automatic restocking, or by assigning the “Restocking” activity to employees. The restocking cost is based on the object’s current value, so depreciation from Buy Mode is factored in.
The "Restock All Items" interaction functions similarly to the "All" variants of the gardening interactions. Once one restocking interaction is completed, the game automatically queues the next "Restock" interaction for the next available object. Based on my testing, this approach consistently delivered the most efficient results. Please note that the following restock interactions will be completed 20% quicker.
For efficient restocking, it’s recommended to use Lunar Britney’s More Employees mod and assign at least two Sims to the task. NPC employees will still incur costs when restocking.
The interaction uses the Get to Work animation. From version 3.0.0.0 and on, speed depends on the Business Management Skill:
- Level 1-2: 20 in-game minutes.
- Level 3-4: 15 in-game minutes.
- Level 5: 5 in-game minutes.
Restocking also increases the Business Management Skill.
Once your Sim or employees restock an item, it becomes available for sale again, whether you're controlling the business or visiting as a customer. The item's current value determines the cost of the interaction.
Starting with version 2.1, a new activity and interaction called "Craft Restocking Supplies" has been introduced.
Sims and employees can now use any Woodworking Table to craft Restocking Supplies. When this item is in a Sim's inventory, Restocking will cost 75% less. Additionally, Sims can perform this crafting interaction autonomously. It costs 100 simoleons.
Starting with version 3.0.0.0, this interaction also increases the Business Management Skill of the Sim crafting the supplies. The amount of objects will depend on that skill as well. Ranging from 2 to 4.
If the "Restocking Not Allowed" challenge is enabled, the restocking interaction will be unavailable. Additionally, for the "Craft Restocking Supplies" option to appear, the Woodworking Table must be placed within an "Employees Only" zone. If the "Move objects to inventories (Employees)" is added, owners will also get Restocking Supplies from the employees' inventories.
If at any point you want to disable the restocking system completely, you can do it in the current Small Business using the new "Restocking Not Allowed" challenge.
Because the game wasn’t originally designed for restocking, this module adds a +25% marker to help support that function. It’s recommended to set it up after your first load. If you run into UI issues, uninstall the mod, load your business save without it, save again, and then reinstall the mod. This helps reset things and prevent conflicts
Since adding a new field to the Business Report UI isn’t currently supported, you can check the actual retail sales balance of a small business using the new "Check retail sales report from {Business Name}" interaction—available by clicking on any floor.
This interaction displays an on-screen notification showing the net profit from your small business’s most recent shift.
Please note the following:
- Once the business is reopened, all performance metrics will reset to zero.
- Retail Sales data may not fully match EA’s report, as this mod does not include tips earned via the “Leave a Tip?” perk.
- The notification will also pop up when closing the currently open small business.
Marquillo For Sale Sign" Object (v2.3.0.0)
Starting with version 2.3.0.0, a new object called the "Marquillo For Sale Sign" has been added.
Once you place this object on a lot, any item you purchase afterward will be automatically marked as "For Sale". This is especially useful for Retail-type businesses, as it significantly reduces the number of manual clicks required to enable sale status.
When you're satisfied with the items you want to sell, simply remove the sign. From that point on, anything you buy will have its default "Not For Sale" state.
Please note: This object is not intended for use in regular gameplay. Always remove the object before switching to Live Mode, as leaving it in place may cause unexpected issues.
New Sells system (v3.0.0.0)
Starting with version 3.0.0.0, you'll notice that objects marked as "For Sale" will now display for new interactions:
These four new interactions will help you increase revenue for your business, allowing workers and owners to sell specific objects to Sims. If the interactions are successful, you'll see the Sim purchasing the object immediately after the interaction.
These four new interactions are:
- Basic Sell: A normal sale with a normal rate of success, the lower your skill level is, the more probable they will fail.
- Hard Sell: A riskier option that have more payoff on the last level of the skill.
- Manipulative Sell: Only available at level 10. Nevers fails but causes a small -2 relationship drop.
- Scheamy Sell: Replaces the Sway to Buy interaction. Can fail, but if it is successful, it makes Sims pay 1.25 times the price of objects for 60 in-game minutes. Unlocks with the vanilla Sway to Buy perk. It adds up correctly in the Sales Report
The object actually costs 105 simoleons and the Sim paid 131.
The Basic, Hard, and Scheamy sell interaction can fail and the level of success will depend on the Business Management Skill and the Sims' luck if you have Enchanted by Nature and the luck system enabled. All of the Selling interactions also improve the Business Management skills every time your Sim uses them.
Once the Sim Picker menu is opened, the item will be marked as "Offered", indicated by a change in opacity and tint.
Items in this state cannot be sold or autonomously offered by other Sims. If not purchased within 50 in-game minutes, they will automatically revert to their original "For Sale" status. You may also manually reset them, though this is not recommended, as it can disrupt active purchasing interactions with other Sims.
Please note: using these interactions will cause Sims to stop chatting, so you may notice a that customers in general, chat less. Additionally, affected Sims will receive a minor buff that prevents them from being selected for sales interactions for the next 60 in-game minutes, regardless of whether the interaction was successful or not.
Finally, I also included a new "Sell Objects" activity.
This new activity can be added to employees and the owner, and will make Sims use the Basic and Hard Sell interactions autonomously.
For all the custom activities included in this mod, I recommend assigning just that one specific activity to the Sim. This will improve employee efficiency.
For the custom Sell Activity, I do recommend only enabling one employee to avoid clashing selling interactions.
💡 Known issues and rarities
- When visiting as a customer, any purchases made—whether by your Sim or NPCs—will correctly credit the small business owner. Restocking is free for them. This design choice supports rotational gameplay and won’t be changed.
- Retail surfaces may show multiple “Buy Item” interactions during visits. All of them are functional, so feel free to use whichever is available.
- Dragging a sale-enabled item onto the floor or a regular surface from a retail surface may prevent it from being properly marked as “Not For Sale.” Fixing this often leads to Last Exceptions, so it’s left as-is to avoid instability.
- Restocking actions aren’t tracked in the UI’s financial report. Currently, there's no way to include these in in-game reporting.
2. Craftables
This module aims to fix unusual behavior related to how the game handles items crafted by your employees.
To get started, assign the new activity “Move Objects to Inventories (Employees)” to any household or non-household employees and the owner of the business. For smoother integration, I recommend using the “Employee Activities” menu, which offers custom-designed activities built to work seamlessly with this module.
For small business owners, this module includes an interaction called “Get All Craftables from Sim,” which specifically targets employees. When triggered, it transfers all crafted items from the employee's inventory to the owner's inventory, effectively giving ownership of those items to the business owner. If the activity is assigned, this will happen autonomously from time to time.
You’ll see that this interaction is initiated via a new notification. Keep in mind, however, that this process will not occur if you visit the lot as a customer. NPC inventory transfers can be technically unstable in that context.
If you suspect an employee might have craftables in their inventories, you can also run the interaction manually.
The second interaction, “Remove Item,” runs autonomously. It scans crafting tables for finished items—such as paintings, flower arrangements, Mini-Bots, jewelry and gems, pottery, and elixirs or cures—and moves them into the employee's inventory. After that, the employee’s inventory will be scanned using the “Get All Craftables from Sim” interaction, transferring ownership to the small business owner.
This action also triggers a notification. Unlike the previous interaction, “Remove Item” works even when your Sim visits the business as a customer.
Finally, regardless of whether you assign the activity, any items your employees create using the Fabricator, along with certain larger items made at the Woodworking Table, will automatically be moved to the Household Inventory.
All of the above should help reduce issues like lack of production. However, this module introduces an additional challenge: business owners will be charged for any actions their NPC employees perform during their shifts. Because of this, it's wise to be strategic about how many Sims you assign to crafting tasks.
This module introduces a new interaction called “Pick Up All Servings” for food items that contain multiple portions. It allows you to separate individual servings, helping to resolve a known bug where multiple servings are mistakenly charged as one.
If you’re only interested in this specific fix, there’s an alternative version available from BrazenLotus. However, I chose to include this solution in my own mod to provide a more comprehensive fix
💡 Important Note: Current Game Limitations
- When visiting a business as a customer, crafted items—such as potions and elixirs—will be stored in the employee's inventory and remain there. These items will only transfer to the business owner's inventory when you play as the owner.
- During customer visits, any items crafted by employees won’t incur costs for the business owner. In other words, the owner's household funds are not charged for materials used during that time.
- At present, the cost of crafted items is not tracked in the UI’s financial report. There is currently no way to include these expenses in any in-game financial summaries.
3. Employee Activities
This module expands employee functionality (especially for NPCs) through a set of custom activities. The new tasks appear in the Add Employee Task menu and include the “Employees” suffix for easy identification
New features include:
- Employees can be assigned crafting tasks in Fabrication, Gemology, Flower Arranging, Pottery, Apothecary crafts, and Woodworking.
- For crafted items to appear in the household inventory, use this module alongside the Craftables module.
- The items Sims create depend on their individual skill levels.
- The Scrap Crafts activity functions better than in the base game.Avoid assigning both crafting and scrap tasks to the same employee—they may delete their own creations.
- New recipes are included that go beyond standard interactions. For example: dyed versions of candles and bouquets.
Please note that starting with version 2, crafting stations must be placed in zones marked Employees Only. If they’re not, Sims won’t use them.
4. Employee Behaviour
This module adjusts employee behavior to help them stay focused on assigned tasks:
- Their Social need decays more slowly, making them less inclined to seek social interaction.
- The Fun need becomes a lower priority during work hours, encouraging task completion.
- New in version 2: Certain leisure interactions—like playing video games or viewing art—are now restricted during employee shifts.
A new interaction—“Ask (name) to not socialize with customers”—is available while the business is open. When used, it disables autonomous socializing for that employee. Customers will also stop initiating social interactions with them. Your Sim can still interact socially with employees, but only through direct actions—not autonomously.
This setting will remain active until you use the “Ask (name) to socialize with customers” interaction to revert it.
5. Customer Behaviour
This is the smallest module in the set, since customer behavior is mostly as expected. Still, a few subtle improvements were made:
- Customers now arrive with normal bladder and hygiene levels, resolving the issue where some would show up with low hygiene or bladder needs. If you prefer a different approach, consider Waffle’s alternative mod.
- Fun decays slightly faster, encouraging Sims to participate in more activities.
- Bladder decays more slowly.
- Social is deprioritized, making Sims less driven to socialize.
- Hygiene starts at a higher value to avoid smelly customers.
Thanks for reading this far! I'm open to feedback and suggestions—feel free to share if there's anything you'd like to see improved. If you come across any errors, please report them in the comments.