What are some business ideas?

[prv2nd]

Hey y'all -

What are some good ways to earn lindens in SL besides the typical routes (marketplace stores, escorting, dancing etc.) Not so much for the sake of earning lindens more so just to have a business to run and communicate with people about. 

Open to any suggestions! Thnx! 🙂

[Lindal Kidd]

@prv2nd,

There are three major job sectors in SL:

• Land
• Content creation
• Services

Land encompasses both holding land, either on the Mainland or ownership of private estate region(s) and renting bits of it out to others, and also buying land with the intention of reselling it at a profit.  Both of these require considerable up-front capital, and there's lots of competition...both from other landlords and from Linden Lab, in the form of Linden Homes.

Content creation is the surest way to a significant income in SL, but it requires that you have, or develop, skills with some of the creation tools...Blender, Photoshop/GIMP, scripting in LSL.  It also requires that you have, or develop, some marketing skills, plus a bit of luck.  The investment in time is huge, compared with the returns.  Most SL creators specialize in one category of content...buildings, landscaping, vehicles, clothing, skin, avatar bodies/heads, shoes, jewelry, hair, furniture, animals, etc.  Some creators focus on creating foundation elements which are then used by other creators...textures, sounds, animations, untextured mesh objects, building components, etc.

Services include consulting, escorting, exotic dance (stripping), photography, DJ, live performing, or teaching.  One could also think of club owners as providing a service.  Some estate owners have enough land that they need help in managing it.  If you have creative skills but don't want to create things "on spec" and put them in a store, you may be able to hire yourself out to do custom work on commission.

People new to SL often ask us, "What should I do to make $L?"  Most of us will tell you that if that's your goal, it's much easier and more efficient to buy your $L with a credit card.  Whatever you do in SL should be FUN for you, not the drudgery of a job to get a paycheck.  If you love something, go ahead and do it.  If it makes you a little money too...well, that's a nice bonus.

Edited July 29, 2019 by Lindal Kidd

[Fionalein]

If I knew any I would not tell you but try them myselves ... don't expect too much of honest answers in here.

Maybe lessons - works like dancing but you actually teach something and people might tip you.

Edited July 29, 2019 by Fionalein

[Orwar]

   It depends. If you have any creative skills, such as meshing, animating, texturing or scripting, you can build a store in which you offer various products. If you have a good eye for it, decorating, photography or landscaping might be more approachable.

   You can also make money through consulting in various matters, such as avatar design (styling/fashion) or event planning (various ceremonies or parties). It would however require you to make yourself familiar with a lot of different aspects of SL, and that you keep up to date with how various features progress.

   A seemingly common go-to for those who like marketing but don't have any "real" skills is to sell shapes. Make a shape, find some pretty hair, makeup and accessories, take a picture, edit the heck out of it and sell it on the MP or in an in-world store; of course, most people will want to know what skin/hair/makeup/accessories you used rather than buy your shapes, which is when you use the nifty "styling card included" tag and blatantly refuse to credit those creators unless you get a cut along the way.

1 minute ago, Fionalein said:

Maybe lessons - works like dancing but you actually teach something and people might tip you.

   This works, too. You can either have them open and set up a tip jar and anyone who so wishes may show up - or you make a private business model where people pay for sessions. It does require you to have a shareable skill though (language, history, mathematics, etc.).

   Finally - keep an eye on the Inworld Employment board (commerce section of these forums). Occasionally, among the spam for various venues wanting prostitutes they can pimp or clubs that want you to spin money for them, you can find some interesting and worthwhile positions.

   ... Though before you apply for any serious job, maybe-- Re-work your profile.

[Adam Spark]

17 minutes ago, Fionalein said:

If I knew any I would not tell you but try them myselves ... don't expect too much of honest answers in here.

Maybe lessons - works like dancing but you actually teach something and people might tip you.

Why not honest answers? This isn't a competition. In fact, a healthy industry as a whole plays a big role in whether a business succeeds. If somebody wants to succeed in business in Second Life, my first piece of advice would be to work with like-minded businesses and cheer on their successes.

[Fionalein]

1 minute ago, Adam Spark said:

Why not honest answers? 

Why create uneccessary competition?

[Adam Spark]

40 minutes ago, prv2nd said:

Hey y'all -

What are some good ways to earn lindens in SL besides the typical routes (marketplace stores, escorting, dancing etc.) Not so much for the sake of earning lindens more so just to have a business to run and communicate with people about. 

Open to any suggestions! Thnx! 🙂

You could open a venue, either for DJs or live performers. This can be super costly, and has a high risk of no return. Your best bet is to start small. Build a hangout on a parcel with low tier and hire performers based on careful budgeting. Don't fill your calendar overnight with every singer you want. Hire DJs as they are more apt to spin for tips. Be prepared to pump your profits mostly back into the growth of your business.

Edited July 29, 2019 by Adam Spark

[Adam Spark]

4 minutes ago, Fionalein said:

Why create uneccessary competition?

Why consider it competition?

I own a venue. I have zero trouble mentioning clubs by name when their owners show up. I have LMs to them in my venue. They return the favor. We all benefit.

[Mollymews]

4 hours ago, Adam Spark said:

I own a venue. I have zero trouble mentioning clubs by name when their owners show up. I have LMs to them in my venue. They return the favor. We all benefit.

in my evening timezone, the SL online numbers are at their lowest.  The live music venue operators cooperate. Monday evening this venue, Tuesday evening that venue. Wednesday the next venue, Thursday the next.  Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings, because more people online, are a bit more flexible, but even then is rare for there to be more than 2 venues open at the same time 

Edited July 30, 2019 by Mollymews
becasue more

[Polenth Yue]

It sounds like you mainly want to run a business for fun, so what do you find fun? What are your interests? Build a business from that.

[Arduenn Schwartzman]

15 hours ago, prv2nd said:

(marketplace stores, escorting, dancing etc.)

Pyramid schemes like vampire games tend to make one pretty rich.  But it all boils down to talent and dedication. (A fair dose of sociopathy and ruthlessness will also help.)

Edited July 30, 2019 by Arduenn Schwartzman

[Lucita Sorrowsong]

I made a vlog about jobs and making L$ in SL. Hope it is allowed here: 

 

[cafekan]

I am trying to start my own and rather than posting it again and again. Just follow me around. The number one concern is for me and maybe others is, Trademark. My Trademark is an official one in the real world or is preparing to be." because of that I want to launch that fashion wear fashion gear on a Second Life fashion stage"  I want my trademark to have legal protection in the Second Life too. I think if all goes well it will bring about a new way of Second Life employment and how we do things. 

legal protection meaning; Right to transfer, copy, modify etc  

 https://www.facebook.com/avatarcafekan

Our Second Life is our one single life together, 

[Lindal Kidd]

If your logo is trademarked, it does have legal protection, in Second Life as well as elsewhere.  However, it's important that you recognize the limitations.

The main limitation is that THERE ARE NO LAWS IN SECOND LIFE.  No, really, I mean that.  There are no laws, only Linden Lab policies.  LL has a policy to protect their OWN trademarks...but not yours.  You have no protection under LL's policies, and they will not help you.

You also do not have protection via the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA).  The DMCA applies to copyrighted material, not to trademarks.  They are different forms of intellectual property and are governed by different laws.  So, while LL has a DMCA procedure by which you can compel the removal of content that infringes your copyright, this route is no help either.

But...you CAN protect your trademark, even in SL.  The catch is, it's going to cost you a lot of real world money.  If someone infringes on your registered trademark, you will have to hire a lawyer and sue them, in real life.  This is a long and expensive process.  The first step will be to find out who's behind that thief of an avatar.  Your lawyer will have to subpoena that information from LL.  And that's just step one.  (Note, this does not invalidate what I said above, about there being no laws in SL.  These trademark laws will be applied in REAL LIFE.  Your dispute may be ABOUT Second Life, but it will take place in the real world of laws, lawyers, and judges.)

Not only will fighting for your rights cost you thousands of dollars, it will also almost surely cost you your Second Life anonymity.  In the process of your legal back-and-forth, not only will you find out the real life identity of your opponent, they will find out yours.

Only you can decide if the game is worth the candle.  If it were me, I'd come up with a brand new logo for my SL fashion line and not even try to link it up to my RL business.