Businesses & Ventures¶
Access via Work → Alternative Careers → Businesses. Found your own company, run it year to year, and grow it into a chain or take it public. Your occupation becomes "Owner of [Business]" (or "Entrepreneur" once you own more than one).
Business Types¶
| Business | Startup | Requirement | What you build |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🍽️ Restaurant | $60,000 | Age 18+ | Design a menu, earn stars, franchise into a chain |
| ⚖️ Law Firm | $120,000 | Law degree (JD) | Open practice areas, recruit lead attorneys, make partner |
| 🎬 Film Studio | $250,000 | Age 21+ | Greenlight films, set budgets & genres, chase box office |
How a Business Works¶
- Company cash — each business has its own cash reserve, separate from your personal money. Profits build it up; you fund expansions (new practice areas, franchises, films) from it.
- Owner's salary — set how much you draw each year (from $0 up to $600k). Your draw is paid from company cash and taxed as personal income.
- Annual P&L — every age-up runs revenue → costs (payroll, marketing, rent, loan) → profit, adjusted by your business acumen, the economy, and your executives. Corporate tax is 21%.
- Valuation — grows with profitability and reputation; it sets your sale price and unlocks going public.
While you're away
If you go to prison, your businesses keep trading without you — reduced revenue, brand damage, and no owner draw from a cell. When you die, the executor sells your stake (cash reserves included) and the proceeds pass to your heir.
Staff & Executives¶
Hire regular employees for capacity, and C-suite executives for powerful bonuses. Employees can occasionally pass away, leaving a vacancy.
| Executive | Salary | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| CFO | $250,000 | Cashflow forecasting; steadier margins |
| COO | $220,000 | Higher capacity and operating margins |
| CMO | $190,000 | Your marketing budget works much harder |
| HR Manager | $140,000 | Auto-hires staff each year, cuts turnover |
Signature Mechanics¶
- Restaurant — Menu — develop dishes and set each to Value, Standard or Premium pricing (volume vs. margin). A best-seller emerges each year.
- Law Firm — Practice Areas — open practice areas (Criminal, Corporate, Personal Injury, Family, IP, Tax, Real Estate) and recruit a lead attorney for each. Strength comes from your Law skill plus the attorney. Set billing to Standard / Premium / Elite.
- Film Studio — Films — greenlight films at Indie, Studio or Blockbuster budgets and pick a genre. Films move through a production pipeline (filming → post → release) and earn at the box office; hire studio specialists to lift quality.
Growing & Exiting¶
- Franchising — once your brand has a prestige star, franchise it. Each new franchise costs ~$90k setup; you set the upfront fee and royalty % (4–15%) and earn passive income.
- Going public (IPO) — at a $2M valuation and 55+ reputation, you can float it. About 40% of equity is sold for a cash windfall, and you keep the rest as shares — which pass to your heir.
- Selling — sell a stake or the whole business for a lump sum based on its valuation.
Tip
A law firm needs a Juris Doctor to found, but has the highest margins. Restaurants are the cheapest way in and franchise well. Film studios are expensive and volatile but have the biggest upside.