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Business
March 10, 2026 at 12:03 AM
Merged Business Management Guide content (comprehensive guide structure with tables for business types, employee skills, star ratings, daily earnings, troubleshooting) and added unique Business sections (Franchise System, Build Mode Items, Limitations). Guide article deleted, slug added as alias.
The business ownership system, introduced in inZOI's v0.5.0 update (December 2025), lets your Zoi start and manage their own commercial enterprises. As a business owner, you control every aspect of operations from setting business hours and hiring employees to adjusting pricing and monitoring customer satisfaction. Business properties operate independently from your residential lot, and a single household can run multiple establishments as a franchise.
Before you can open a business, your Zoi needs to meet a few requirements. First, you need enough Meow to purchase a commercial property. Property prices vary depending on the lot size and location, but expect to spend anywhere from 20,000 to over 100,000 Meow. Your Zoi must also be a Young Adult or older. It helps to have some savings beyond the purchase price so you can furnish the space and cover initial operating costs before revenue starts flowing in.
Business properties are available on commercial lots throughout the game world. You can browse available properties through the in-game real estate listings or by visiting vacant commercial lots in person. When you find a property you like, interact with it to view the price and lot details.
Once you purchase a lot, it becomes your business location. Unlike residential lots, commercial properties are specifically zoned for business operations. The lot size affects how many items you can place, how many customers can visit at once, and ultimately how much revenue you can generate.
After purchasing a property, open the Business App on your Zoi's phone to register your business. The registration process involves several steps:
Select the commercial property you purchased as your business location.
Choose a name for your business.
Set your operating hours (opening and closing times).
Pick a business preset that determines the type of establishment you will run.
The business preset is the most important decision because it defines what products and services you can offer. You can change certain aspects of your business later, but the core preset shapes the entire operation.
inZOI offers several distinct business types, each with its own products, customer interactions, and profit potential. Your choice of business type determines what equipment you need, what skills your employees should have, and how customers interact with your establishment.
Business Type | Description | Key Equipment |
|---|---|---|
Cafe | Serves coffee, tea, and light beverages. A popular starter business with moderate setup costs and consistent customer flow. | Espresso machine, counter, seating |
Bakery | Produces and sells baked goods like bread, pastries, and cakes. Requires cooking stations and display cases. | Oven, baking station, display counter |
Restaurant | Full dining establishment serving cooked meals. Higher setup costs but strong revenue potential from food sales. | Kitchen equipment, dining tables, kiosk |
Bar | Serves alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Operates best during evening and nighttime hours. | Bar counter, drink station, seating |
Florist Shop | Sells flowers and floral arrangements. A more niche business with lower overhead costs. | Flower displays, wrapping station, counter |
Confectionery | Specializes in candies, chocolates, and sweet treats. Similar setup requirements to a bakery. | Candy-making station, display cases |
Gym | Provides fitness services and equipment for customers. Earns income through entrance fees and can generate high daily revenue. | Exercise machines, weights, reception desk |
Open Lot | A freeform business type with no preset restrictions. You configure the products and services yourself for maximum flexibility. | Varies by configuration |
Once registered, enter Build Mode to furnish and arrange your business property. The layout of your space directly affects customer satisfaction, employee efficiency, and overall revenue. Here are the essential elements every business needs:
Kiosk: The point-of-sale terminal where customers pay. Every business needs at least one kiosk near the entrance or counter area.
Market Stand: Displays products for sale. Place these where customers can easily browse your offerings.
Seating: For businesses like cafes, restaurants, and bars, seating is essential. Customers need places to sit while eating or drinking.
Production Equipment: Cooking stations, espresso machines, ovens, and similar equipment where employees prepare products.
Decorations: Furniture quality and decorations contribute to customer satisfaction. Higher-quality items improve your business rating.
Pay attention to flow and layout. Customers should be able to enter, browse or order, find a seat, and leave without getting stuck on obstacles. Employees need clear paths between production stations and serving areas.
Through the Business App, you can configure which products your business offers. For food-based businesses (cafes, bakeries, restaurants), this means selecting which recipes to add to your menu. Each business preset comes with a default set of recipes, but you can customize the menu to focus on higher-margin items or cater to customer preferences.
Pricing is another important consideration. You can adjust the prices of individual items. Setting prices too high drives customers away, while prices that are too low cut into your profit margins. Start with the default pricing and adjust based on how your business performs.
For gym-type businesses, you configure customer activities instead of food recipes. These activities determine what customers can do at your gym, such as using cardio machines, lifting weights, or attending group classes. You also set an entrance fee that all customers pay when they visit.
Running a business alone is possible but inefficient. Hiring employees lets your business serve more customers, produce more products, and operate even when your Zoi is not physically present. You can hire employees through the Business App.
Employees must be acquaintances or members of your household. You cannot hire strangers off the street. This means you need to build relationships with other Zois before they become eligible candidates. Potential employees must be Young Adult age or older.
When hiring, you negotiate a daily salary with each employee. Offering a higher salary increases the chance they accept, while lowball offers may be rejected. Once hired, the employee's salary is deducted from your daily revenue. Keep salary costs in mind when calculating your profit margins.
The effectiveness of your employees depends on their skills. Different business roles require different skill sets:
Role | Key Skill | Impact |
|---|---|---|
Kitchen / Production Staff | Cooking | Higher Cooking skill means faster, higher-quality food preparation. Skilled cooks reduce wait times and improve customer satisfaction. |
Customer-Facing Staff | Rhetoric | Employees with high Rhetoric skill are better at serving customers, handling complaints, and maintaining a positive atmosphere. |
General Staff | Various | Some tasks like cleaning and restocking do not require specific skills but benefit from higher overall stats. |
Assign employees to roles that match their strengths. A Zoi with high Cooking skill should work in the kitchen, while a Zoi with strong Rhetoric is better suited for the front of house.
Your business has a level system tied to its star rating. As customers visit and leave satisfied, your business earns experience toward the next level. Higher business levels unlock additional features and improve your establishment's reputation, attracting more customers.
The star rating (displayed on your business profile) reflects overall customer satisfaction. It factors in several elements:
Factor | Description |
|---|---|
Service Frequency | How quickly and consistently customers receive their orders. Slow service drags down satisfaction. |
Furniture Quality | Higher-quality furniture and decorations create a better atmosphere, improving the customer experience. |
Pricing | Fair prices relative to the product quality. Overpriced items make customers feel ripped off. |
Relationship with Owner | Customers who have a positive relationship with your Zoi are more forgiving and rate the business higher. |
A clean business space contributes to satisfaction. Messy or cluttered areas lower ratings. |
Business income is calculated through daily settlement. At the end of each business day (when your operating hours close), the game tallies up all revenue from sales and entrance fees, subtracts employee salaries and operating costs, and deposits the net profit into your Zoi's account.
Revenue comes from several sources:
Item Sales: The primary income source for most businesses. Every product sold at your market stand or kiosk generates revenue.
Entrance Fees: Gyms and certain other business types charge an entrance fee. Every customer who walks in pays this fee.
Paid Activities: Some business configurations allow you to charge for specific activities or services.
Revenue varies significantly based on your setup, location, employee count, pricing, and customer traffic. Based on player reports, here are approximate daily earnings ranges:
Business Type | Approximate Daily Revenue | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Gym | 18,000 to 23,000 Meow | Consistently the highest earner due to entrance fees and low operating costs. |
Restaurant (Optimized) | 9,000 to 16,000 Meow | Depends heavily on menu selection, seating capacity, and employee count. |
Cafe | 4,500 to 13,000 Meow | Steady income. Higher end requires efficient layout and skilled baristas. |
Bakery | 5,000 to 10,000 Meow | Moderate income. Benefits from producing high-margin pastries. |
Bar | 4,000 to 9,000 Meow | Evening-focused. Revenue spikes during nighttime hours. |
Florist | 3,000 to 7,000 Meow | Lower traffic but also lower overhead. Good supplementary income. |
These figures are approximate and come from player-reported data. Your actual earnings will depend on how well you optimize your business.
To get the most out of your business, focus on these key strategies:
Arrange your business so that customers and employees can move efficiently. Place production stations close to serving areas. Ensure there are enough seats for peak customer flow. A cramped or poorly laid out business slows down service and lowers satisfaction.
Prioritize employees with high relevant skills. A single skilled cook or charismatic server can make a bigger difference than multiple unskilled workers. Balance your staff between production and customer service roles.
Furniture quality directly impacts satisfaction. As your business earns money, reinvest in better tables, chairs, counters, and decorations. Each upgrade slightly boosts your star rating and attracts higher-spending customers.
Set your business hours to match customer demand. Bars should open in the evening. Cafes and bakeries do well with morning and afternoon hours. Gyms can operate throughout the day. Running the business during off-peak hours wastes employee salaries on empty rooms.
Resist the urge to set prices at maximum. Moderate pricing leads to higher customer volume and better satisfaction scores, which translates to more customers over time. The sweet spot is usually slightly above the default pricing.
The business system was introduced relatively recently, and players have reported a few recurring issues:
Issue | Description | Workaround |
|---|---|---|
Employees Standing Idle | Hired employees sometimes stand around and do not perform tasks, especially in larger businesses. | Try reassigning them to specific roles through the Business App. Reducing the number of employees can also help. |
Customers Not Leaving | Some customers linger after finishing their food or activity, blocking seats for new visitors. | Ensure clear exit paths. Restarting the business day by closing and reopening can reset customer behavior. |
Food Display Bugs | Products sometimes do not display correctly on market stands or counters. | Remove and re-place the market stand in Build Mode. Save and reload the game if the issue persists. |
Revenue Not Depositing | Occasionally the daily settlement does not seem to add up correctly. | Check if employee salaries are eating into your revenue. Review the financial summary in the Business App for a breakdown. |
For players who want to skip the grind, inZOI includes a SetBusinessLevel cheat command. This allows you to set your business to any level instantly. While useful for testing or sandbox play, using this cheat removes the natural progression experience. The cheat can be entered through the game's developer console.
A single household can own and operate multiple businesses as a franchise. Each location operates independently with its own employees, hours, and accounting. This lets ambitious Zois build a business empire across Dowon and Bliss Bay.
The v0.5.0 update added 39 business-specific display and showcase items to Build Mode. These include display cases, menu boards, counters, and decorative elements designed specifically for commercial properties.
City travel is restricted while a business is actively open
Business management requires regular attention for optimal performance
Startup costs for property and initial inventory can be significant
Start with a Cafe or Gym for your first business. Cafes have low setup requirements, and gyms generate the highest consistent income.
Build relationships with skilled Zois before opening your business so you have a pool of employees ready to hire.
Visit other businesses in the game world to see how they are set up. You can learn layout ideas from NPC-owned establishments.
Keep an emergency fund of at least 5,000 Meow after opening. Early days may have low revenue until you attract regular customers.
Check the Money Making Guide for additional strategies on earning Meow alongside your business income.
Do not neglect your Zoi's personal needs while managing the business. A Zoi with low mood or energy performs poorly, and this affects the entire operation.
