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business: Making Gnomes
March
16, 2003 - by Lisa Bruton, SimCity Social Services
Are
you one of those Sims who prefer being your own boss? Then there is a great
variety of home businesses available to you! This time we will focus on
the growing Garden Gnome business with related assets.
 Garden
gnomes have become very popular again during the past couple of years.
This traditional business has a long history back in Simmish culture, and
we all know the magic spell that comes with the gnomes. The reason why
they are so popular, although their popularity was a lot greater 100 years
ago. Back then there was at least one Gnome living in each garden. These
days we experience that this old hand craft tradition is returning, and
in most neighbourhoods you will find someone making gnomes for a living.
A living which does in fact give a very nice income.
Skills
and equipment
One
good thing about making garden gnomes is that you don't need a lot of skills
to get started. In fact you can get started with no skills at all, but
with mechanical skills you will work faster and make better gnomes. You
will build mechanical skills while producing, so starting this business
without skills actually is an alternative to studying the books first.
With
no mechanical skills you will need almost 2.5 hours to make your first
gnome. As you build skills the gnomes will be less and less time consuming
to make, and when you are fully skilled (mechanical), you will produce
a gnome in less than 30 minutes.
It's
a lot of hard work to make garden gnomes, especially when you also improve
your skills and need longer to make each gnome. You should be active and
in good shape, otherwise the progress will become to slow. Never consider
to start working when your mood is low, and remember that the room score
affects your all over mood, so make sure to make the working area cosy
and inviting.
You
will need the Kraftking Woodworker Table (§720) which is available
only if your neighbourhood is living large. It's a way larger investment
than i.e. buying an easel, but you will also earn a lot more from gnome
making than from painting. If you don't have cash, there's always a possibility
for getting a bank loan. And although
the bank loan adds financial costs every day, you will soon earn enough
from your gnome production to pay it all back.
You
should also have some solid or old clothes for this work, because clothes
can easily get damaged. Even if you are careful, it would be smart to change
into another outfit while working on the gnomes, because it will help you
seperate work and pleasure which can be important while working at home.
The
paycheque
How
much will you earn? Well, first of all, you need to know that it will take
you about 2 weeks and 140 garden gnomes to be able to get maximum paid
per gnome, which is §100. The earning is improved all the time though,
and already after the first day you will get more than §10 per gnome.
In the start you will not make more than 5-6 gnomes per day, so the income
is limited for the start, but as you improve you will also make more gnomes
per day, meaning that within a week you might earn at least §500 per
day. And this is considered a very good daily paycheque.
After
the 2nd week you should be close to getting §100 per gnome, and you
will need less than 30 minutes to produce each of them. Note that you will
also need some minutes for putting each gnome on the floor, so if the room
is small or there are many gnomes you will need more and more time to find
a free spot, and perhaps it spoils the good work and high income. It is
normally no problem to earn §1.000 per day, some even make twice as
much but probably not daily.
Another
thing to be aware is that not everyone like the garden gnomes. If you leave
them you do risk that someone might steal them, or destroy them. So if
the income is very much needed you should always sell off your produce
before you leave the working station. We recommend you to work in 2 shifts
per day, each time making 5 gnomes. Even if you skip the evening shift
you will still earn §500 per day, which will be enough for most household
budgets.
To
realize the earnings, you must sell the gnomes. Alternatively you can keep
some of them in your inventory for gifts to neighbours or townies later
on. To sell off your gnomes, simply sell them like you would sell any of
your belongings. The modern community has got it's advantages. While your
grandparents needed to travel to the market with their wagon filled up
with gnomes, you will just sell them right away without leaving your home
- easy as can get. We have not managed to reveal what happens to all the
gnomes that are produced every day and all over Sim Nation, because you
will normally not find them for sale Downtown or in Old Town, so we believe
most of the production is exported to the Humans. If you do it for the
money, you wouldn't mind though.
From
the neighbourhoods
In
Simmerville we have a couple residents who make a living from producing
Garden Gnomes. Clive Appleton who recently reopened the Mapple Inn (lodging
for ex-criminal youth) is producing gnomes in order to pay back the loans
they needed to get the place started. His wife makes preserves, and he
says that he manage to earn about §1400 daily. The good thing about
this business he thinks is the possibility of taking days off and work
only when needed. At the time being he needs to work a lot every day, but
he still can find time for fun and recreation.
Brad
Rose is another Simmerville resident who produces gnomes in his home, although
he is still in the process of learning. - I do not produce a lot, he says,
because both I and my wife are having a job which bring in enough money
to cover our daily needs. Making gnomes is more a hobby of mine, which
pays off enough to cover it's costs. Besides, I don't need to listen to
my wife's nagging while I'm busy with the gnomes.
Photo top: Why not turn your
cellar into a Gnome production station? You can work whenever you want
and still make a nice addition to your household budget! |
Contribute:
You
sure need the Kraftking Woodworker Table (§720).
SimSit wanted to offer an alternative woodworker bench, but it became to
large for packing and presenting on this site. Instead you are offered
some appliances like this practical shelf for storing your tools and paint.
It will add nicely to the work station.
Here's
also some wood blocks that you should keep near by, because you will constantly
need more wood for making even more gnomes. As simple as that.
BB-design
has made these two walls that will go well in your cellar, garage, or wherever
you will have your woodworker station.