Starting and running a business

Open Your Life, choose Money & Property, then Start Something. The three supported ownership types are Corner shop, Bakery, and Bar/live venue. Other kinds of workplace are not available for player ownership in this beta.

A shelf business buys items and sets prices. A counter business turns ingredients into goods. A bench business works through customer problems one at a time. A room business opens its doors for people to gather. Choose the kind of work you want to repeat, not only the nicest sign.

The licence cost, premises and starting requirements are shown before you commit. Keep personal money for food and rent; opening a business with every dollar you own can leave both the owner and the business unable to act.

Sales enter the business till, not your personal Wallet. The till pays for stock, staff, fees and growth. Open Business, then Books, to see what entered and left.

To pay yourself, choose the owner payment shown in the office. A tax is taken when money leaves the till for you. This prevents the business from becoming a free second wallet and makes the cost clear before you confirm.

A card booking may reserve a customer's money until the service is completed. Reserved money is not yet a finished sale, so do not count it as profit before the result says it was paid.

Opening for trade is a larger action with a stated finish time. Customers may be human players or clearly labelled Townsfolk, which are computer-controlled residents who keep basic trade moving in a quiet city.

Merely opening the Business page does not clear a finished report or start another period. Choose the highlighted action only when preparation is complete.

1. 1

   Prepare

   Buy stock, arrange staff, choose a service or set up the next piece of work. The page shows anything missing before you open.

2. 2

   Trade or work

   Open for one clear period. Customers may be players or labelled Townsfolk.

3. 3

   Read the result

   Compare sales with stock, wages, fees and anything lost. The report stays available until you file it, so read it before beginning another trading period.

Prepared work, honest promises and fulfilled sales improve how people see the business. Reviews require a real prior trade, so nobody can create praise from nothing.

Quality affects how many customers consider the business and what price they will accept. Reviews explain why a place is liked or disliked, while its overall reputation influences later demand.

A busy-looking day can still lose money. Judge the result after stock, wages and fees, not by the number of customers alone. If sales were strong but the till fell, open Books and find the largest cost before changing prices.

Growth is paid from the till and gives the business more room for staff, stock, quality and contracts. It is not a prize that appears because the owner has enough personal money.

A firm is a group of player-owned businesses with shared money and named roles. Joining one can support several sites, but it does not silently give another member ownership of your shop. Read contribution, payment and leaving rules before accepting.

City contracts currently focus on supplying goods to public departments. Bid only when the shelf can provide the amount promised. A low price cannot rescue a bid that the business is unable to fulfil.

• Hire people when there is enough work to pay them.
• Join with other owners in a firm when shared money and roles would help.
• Bid for a city goods contract only if you can supply the promised stock.
• Use a CityNet page to help people find the business.

CityNet lets a shop publish a simple page with a theme, description, current menu or stock, reviews and a map link. Publishing has a fee paid by the business till.

The page improves discovery only. It does not raise quality, create stock or guarantee customers. Keep the real premises, prices and opening choices in good order first.

Townsfolk provide a basic level of demand so a sensible business can still function. Human customers create the more interesting choices through taste, rivalry, reviews and partnerships.

If nobody bought, check whether the business was open, prepared, priced sensibly and stocked with something the business type can actually sell. A missing customer is not always a population problem.