Guide To Business Alignments And Perks In The Sims 4 Businesses & Hobbies

In The Sims 4: Businesses & Hobbies you can choose the alignment of your business. It can be an honest enterprise, with a focus on good customer service and positive experiences, or you can choose to delve into the shady side of trading. You’ll make choices along the way which affect your business alignment.

Celeste Michaelson offering Rahmi Watson a hand massage or manicure at her spa.

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As your small business levels up, you’ll also unlock new perks, which can further enhance your journey down your chosen alignment path, or add a neutral benefit. Here’s how they all work.

Alignments And Perks, Explained

The Sims 4 Businesses and Hobbies perk menu with fake payments open.

Alignments are related to the way you choose to run your business. The dreamer alignment is the lawful option, while the schemer alignment is referred to as an illicit option. Both alignments have associated perk points, bonuses which will help you meet your business goals. There are also neutral perks available.

All businesses start at level zero with a neutral alignment and no perk points.

All information about alignments and perks is in the small business menu. Access this by clicking the cash register icon in the bottom right-hand side of the main UI.

Once opened, you can see your alignment on the graph above where it says Business Value. If you are aligned with dreamer the icon will appear as a bird against a shop sign and the bar will appear orange. The further up the right-hand side it goes, the higher in the dreamer alignment you are. Similarly, schemer-aligned businesses will see the icon of a purple cat against a shop sign and a purple bar will climb up the left-hand side.

Next to this graph is one which shows the level of your business. Between this and where it lists the number of Perk Points you have is a circular shop sign icon. Click this to access the perks menu.

The Dreamer Alignment

The Sims 4 Businesses and Hobbies outside Spilled Neon with lawful alignment tab open.

The dreamer alignment is also referred to as the lawful alignment. It is built when a Sim chooses to interact positively with their customers. You can build the dreamer alignment by making morally good choices when business dilemmas arise, and by using the dreamer-aligned social interactions during your work day.

All dreamer interactions are marked with a small icon of a flying bird against an open sign.

From the start, you can enhance a customer’s experience by clicking on them and choosing small business > welcome to small business. After this, you need to begin using your dreamer interactions.

After a few interactions, you’ll reach the second level of the dreamer alignment. A business dilemma will occur and your choice will determine if you stay on the path to being lawful, or switch to being more morally ambiguous.

The Sims 4 Businesses and Hobbies Inspection screen choice-1

If you choose to stay lawful, you’ll gain the ability to have happy customers. These satisfied visitors won’t try to get away without paying, are more likely to tip, and can leave positive reviews. Your Sim may also be invited to join an inspirational seminar. Positive reviews and happy customers all help build your business’s reputation, and its level, quicker.

At the next level, the pressure starts to kick in and your Sim can face some challenges. Your past actions could start to show now, especially if you changed alignment, and you’ll need to make sure you surround yourself with similarly aligned people.

Once you max out the bar, you can expect to continue to face challenges which could start to move it in the other direction. You’ll need to continue to solve dilemmas and interact with others in ways which match your alignment.

Dreamer Small Business Perks

Dreamer small businesses focus on a positive experience for the customer as well as a good moral outlook on business practices. These perks will help you enhance the experience of anyone who frequents your business.

Perk Name	Level Unlocked	Benefits	Perk Type
Inspiring Business Story	Hopeful Hustle (Level 1)	Gain share small business story social interaction. Using this will increase your lawful/dreamer alignment bar. May bore customers.	Active – Under small business social menu.
Employee Bonus	Striving Startup (Level 2)	Give an employee a bonus using the social menu. Positive reception will fulfill needs. Can also be taken negatively.	Active – Under small business social menu of an employee.
Chug the WUTANT	Neighborhood Gem (Level 3)	Allows a Sim to drink an energy drink. If successful, it refills needs and gives a +999 very energized moodlet for 24 hours. Can also make a Sim crash.	Active – Under small business social menu of business owner.
Customer Appreciation Day	Community Staple (Level 4)	Makes all goods, services and entry charges free for the day. Everyone will have a great time. Builds renown and positive relationships quickly.	Active – Select from a business sign, ticket kiosk or computer.
Bartering	Local Legend (Level 5)	Customers will offer to pay in rare materials or valuables to help you complete collections.	Passive – Deactivate using a business sign, ticket kiosk or computer.

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Schemer Business Alignment

The Sims 4 Businesses and hobbies tattoo u open with schemer alignment shown.

The schemer alignment is also referred to as the illicit alignment. This is built by looking after your profits rather than the people who visit.

As with a dreamer alignment, you can enhance a customer’s experience by clicking on them and choosing small business > welcome to small business. This is a relationship boost so applies to all alignments.

All schemer interactions are marked with a small icon of a purple cat against an open sign.

To begin to align yourself with the schemers, you’ll need to use the small business social menu to spread small business rumors.

After a few interactions, you’ll reach the second level of the schemer alignment, underground alignment. Once again, this is the point where you may find dilemmas occurring which will further cement your alignment and reputation.

The Sims 4 Businesses and Hobbies Investment opportunity dilemna.

You’ll also gain the happy customer and positive reviews lawful businesses get at this level, meaning both alignments have equal benefit. However, as a shady business, you will attract more shady customers, such as those with mean, evil or argumentative tendencies in comparison to the more moral customers a lawful business attracts.

The further you go down this path and the more morally dubious choices you make, the higher the chances of your deeds catching up with you.

Negative consequences happen more often in highly schemer-aligned businesses and this can result in a loss of reputation and renown. The dodgier your choices, the higher the chance of consequences, so be careful to decide what matters more: your business reputation or your bottom line.

Schemer Small Business Perks

Schemer perks focus on generating Simoleons, often at the cost of customer comfort. These traits will help you skim a little off the top and increase your profits.

Perk Name	Level Unlocked	Benefits	Perk Type
Sway To Buy	Hopeful Hustle (Level 1)	Persuade customers to buy items on sale. Some customers may see through this.	Active – Under small business social menu.
Fake Payments	Striving Startup (Level 2)	Fake payments for your bills and employee salaries to save some Simoleons. This can backfire and result in fines.	Active – Select the option from a pc, mailbox or your own social menu.
White-Collar Robbery	Neighborhood Gem (Level 3)	Gain the ability to swipe objects and enter forbidden areas of other businesses.	Active – Works like the kleptomania trait.
Fire Starter	Community Staple (Level 4)	“Accidentally” start a fire on your business lot and gain an increased insurance payout. Start them on other lots just for fun.	Active – Select item to burn.
Ultrasonic Whistle	Local Legend (Level 5)	Allows you to use a whistle (under the small business menu) to send all customers away and replace them with new ones. Don’t worry, no one will go until after they’ve paid their entrance fee.	Passive – Deactivate using a business sign, ticket kiosk or computer.

Neutral Business Perks

The Sims 4 Businesses and Hobbies perks menu with random selection.

As well as the morally aligned perks, there are also a range of neutral perks you can benefit from. These can increase your earnings and help you build renown. These traits also unlock in stages linked to your business level, and you don’t need to take all three levels to unlock the next one. Perk points will continue to be generated based on renown even after you reach Local Legend status in your business.

Perk Name	Level Unlocked	Benefits	Perk Type
Leave A Tip?	Hopeful Hustle (Level 1)	Encourages customers to leave a tip on top of their payment. Increased levels mean a more generous tip.	3 Level Passive Perk
Going Viral	Striving Startup (Level 2)	Visiting Simfluencers will generate buzz, increasing customer satisfaction. More levels equal more buzz.	3 Level Passive Perk
Muscle Memory	Neighborhood Gem (Level 3)	Your Sim will gain skills quicker while the business is open. More levels mean an even faster increase.	3 Level Passive Perk
Invest In SimoCoin	Community Staple (Level 4)	Gain the ability to mine SimoCoin on a computer. Can generate a lot of Simoleons, and a large electricity bill.	Active – Enable at a computer.
Irresistible Scent	Local Legend (Level 5)	Visiting Sims will enjoy the aroma and stick around longer as a result. Cannot be activated with Ultrasonic Whistle.	Passive – Deactivate using a business sign, ticket kiosk or computer.

How To Change And Reset Perks

A tattoo artist getting ready to tattoo a sim.

If you want to change your perks at any point, simply open the perks menu and select the reset perks button in the bottom left corner. Perks can be reset at any time, as long as the business is closed.

You are also able to take any perks in any order, as long as your business has reached the correct level to unlock them. There are no restrictions and no requirement to stick to a specific alignment. The only limitation is that you cannot have the Irresistible Scent and Ultrasonic Whistle perks enabled at the same time since they conflict.