History Main / AnEntrepreneurIsYou

* In ''VideoGame/BearAndBreakfast'', Hank must build and expand the inn, keep his guests happy, and make continuous improvements to satisfy future guests, all while making sure the inn is turning a profit and he has the money needed to make updates.

* ''VideoGame/EndlessSky'': There are various ways to make money with your new spaceship, from asteroid mining to hunting bounties on pirates, but the most basic is to buy cargo where it's cheap and haul it to planets where it's worth more.

* Certain games in the ''VideoGame/{{Atelier}}'' series make you the owner of your shop of wonders. In ''Atelier Viorate'', alchemy is the means of revitalizing the economy of your backwater village.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Rogue Trader}}s'' in the ''Warhammer 40K'' universe are {{Merchant Prince}}s who ply the spacelanes without more regular trade routes, re-establish contact with LostColonies, and overall command the GDP of small planets.

* ''Capitalism II'', where you're the CEO of a corporation, literally ''is'' this trope. Website/{{Wikipedia}} claims ''Capitalism II'' is so realistic that ''business schools use it for their lessons''.

* ''VideoGame/EastIndiaCompany'', where you get to build up the [[TheEastIndiaCompany titular]] MegaCorp from the ground up.

%%* ''VideoGame/CoconutQueen''
* ''Ports of Call'', in which you are a shipowner. Ironically, the most money isn't made by sending goods from port to port, but by brokering ships. Go figure.
* ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon'', since the PlayerCharacter owns the farm in most games. Money is made by selling crops and animal products, with the profits intended to buy more farm equipement, extra seeds and extra animals.
* ''VideoGame/IdolManager'': The talent agency's rent and its personnel's salaries must be paid for with money from performances, singles, in-house shows and side-gigs such as photoshoots, advertizements, roles in tv series or talk-show appearances.
* Career Mode in ''VideoGame/KerbalSpaceProgram'' has you managing a privately-operated space program that relies on accomplishing milestones and completing contracts to get funds you can reinvest into your rockets at the start.
* In the browser-based nation sim ''{{VideoGame/PoliticsAndWar}}'' players can produce and trade resources to other players.

* ''Videogame/{{Potionomics}}'' has the player run a fantasy potion shop where they must craft and sell various potions as well as haggling with customers in order to get the best price from them. In-between running the shop the protagonist must also find new ingredients through shopping and financing adventurers while also [[RelationshipValues cultivating relationships]] to unlock further bonuses. The primary goal however is to develop her alchemy skills to be capable of winning a potion-brewing competition and using the prize money to pay off her debt.

%%* ''{{VideoGame/MULE}}'', one of the first.

->''[[UsefulNotes/{{Capitalism}} "Capitalism, ho!"]]''

* ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon'', since the PlayerCharacter owns the farm in most games. Money is made by selling crops and animal products, with the profits of either intended to buy more farm equipement, extra seed and extra animals

%%* ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon'', since you own the farm in most games.

** ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII'' has this with the management of Monteriggioni; it's completely optional, but since it returns your investment several times over there's no good reason not to do it.
*** Restoring the town also has the nice effect of the turning the local weather from dark and dreary overcast to bright and hopeful sunshine.
** ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedBrotherhood'' expands this to a city-wide scale, allowing you buy boarded-up storefronts in Rome and putting them back into business, as well as landmarks. You can also reopen stables that will always have horses available for use, but since you can whistle for a horse at any time, there's not much point. Money's still useless for the same reasons above, though reopening the tunnel network is the best [[WarpWhistle fast-travel system]] in the game.
*** It's back again in ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedRevelations'', and this time there's even less of an excuse to have it around then in Brotherhood since the fast travel tunnels are already available from the start.

** '''Videogame/AssassinsCreedRogue'' uses the Renovation system of the Ezio games, with the gist being that you're fixing up a war-torn New York.
** ''Videogame/AssassinsCreedUnity'' has you run an Assassin-operated Cafe that you upgrade through a mix of renovations, sidequests and unlocking Social Clubs throughout the city.

* ''Lemonade Stand''

* In ''VideoGame/DealtInLead'' players can run [[SaloonOwner saloons]]. Eventually banks, general stores, drugstores, etc, will be added.

* In ''VideoGame/EVEOnline'' the player is a ridiculously wealthy immortal starship pilot who can do anything from trade to manufacturing to piracy. Practically the entire economy is player-run.

* The latter half of ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights2'' follows this trope in spirit. Rather than a business, you must oversee the economic and military planning of one of Neverwinter's subject territories.
** The expansion pack ''Storm of Zehir'' is even more faithful to this trope, featuring a caravan system, income, expenses, balance sheet, etc.
* ''VideoGame/{{Caravaneer}}'', despite being an Flash game, simulates an entire economy, with working supply and demand. Towns can go bankrupt from you selling too much goods to them.
* ''VideoGame/MountAndBlade'', much like a space sim, allows you to trade goods between cities. This is one of the most efficient ways of making money, and often necessary considering how much money a well-trained army costs.
** Then there is the new industry system which can have you invest in personal enterprises. Some financial knowledge required

* ''VideoGame/RecettearAnItemShopsTale'' focuses on the main character being forced to run an RPG Item shop to pay off her father's debts while getting heroes to go through dungeons to find loot to sell.

* Certain games in the ''VideoGame/{{Atelier}}'' series make you the owner of your shop of wonders. In ''Atelier Viorate'', alchemy is the means of revitalizing the economy of your backwater village.
* ''VideoGame/StarOceanTillTheEndOfTime'' has inventing, which allows you to patent the items you create and sell them in shops. While it's technically the Craftsman's Guild that's responsible for mass-producing and selling these items, you still receive all the revenues from them on a real-time salary basis, and can even hire other inventors to make ''more'' items for you in exchange for a nominal fee.
* In ''VideoGame/FableIII'' despite being the monarch you can directly own property and can make money by renting it out to the populace. You can use trophies from your adventures and buy furniture to make the property more desirable. You also decide how much rent is charged, though it's advisable to charge something as you ''will'' need money to get a decent ending to the game.
* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}''
** ''VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2'' have Join Avenue, which the player is assigned to manage since the owner is busy. As manager, the player can invite [=NPCs=] or acquaintances from Wi-Fi to open shops there, and recommend shops for visitors to improve business, as well as shop there themselves. The better a store's popularity, the better its stock.
** The Festival Plaza in ''VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon'' and ''[[VideoGame/PokemonUltraSunAndUltraMoon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon]]'' is customizable in what type of facilities you can hold there, and after certain points in the game you can even redesign the entire look.

* Roleplay/AGeeksGuideDeathworldEarth has an optional stock market and business management system.

* The ''Franchise/BreathOfFire'' games starting with the [[VideoGame/BreathOfFireII second one]] allowed you to build and manage a full Town. In II, you can bring [=NPCs=] to populate the place. There are some very specific characters that will help your party in various ways, two of which will turn the town into a Town'''[[GlobalAirship ship]]''', which in turn is essential for the GoldenEnding. In the next games, ''VideoGame/BreathOfFireIII'', ''[[VideoGame/BreathOfFireIV IV]]'' and ''[[Videogame/BreathOfFireDragonQuarter Dragon Quarter]]'', it's a fairy village. You now assign fairies (or worker ants in the last one) specific jobs from landscaping (at least until the whole village is clear), architecture[[note]]exploration in ''DQ''[[/note]] (until all buildings are done), and hunting (for food stocks which would increase the village's population and maintain their numbers, III and IV only), before giving them jobs that would again help the party in various ways.

* Any game with "Tycoon" in the name (just they aren't a series since the term can't be trademarked).
** ''VideoGame/RailroadTycoon''
** ''VideoGame/TransportTycoon'', ''VideoGame/TransportTycoonDeluxe'' and ''[=OpenTTD=]''
** ''VideoGame/RollerCoasterTycoon''
** ''VideoGame/ZooTycoon''
** ''VideoGame/MallTycoon''
** ''VideoGame/PrisonTycoon''
** ''VideoGame/FastFoodTycoon''
** ''VideoGame/SeaWorldTycoon''
** ''VideoGame/FishTycoon''
** ''VideoGame/EnergyTycoon''
** ''VideoGame/GameDevTycoon''
* ''VideoGame/CoconutQueen''
* ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon'', since you own the farm in most games.
* ''[[VideoGame/TheSims Sim]] Theme Park''.
* ''VideoGame/TheSims 2'' "Open for Business" expansion pack
* Spaceflight simulators and their terrestrial cousins, pirate simulators, often allow the player to trade commodities between ports (as opposed to just selling pirated cargo at the first port available, which is the usual method). Examples include:
** ''VideoGame/{{Elite}}'' (including its sequels up to ''[[VideoGame/EliteDangerous Dangerous]]'') and its freeware remake, ''VideoGame/{{Oolite}}''.
** VideoGame/VegaStrike, while not explicitly an VideoGame/{{Elite}} clone, is inspired by the classic.
** ''VideoGame/SidMeiersPirates''.
** ''VideoGame/{{Freelancer}}''
** ''VideoGame/EscapeVelocity''
** ''VideoGame/NoMansSky''
** The ''VideoGame/{{X}}-Universe'' series allows the player to build up massive trading empires, with dozens of trading vessels and hundreds of orbital factories.
** ''VideoGame/RebelGalaxy''

* ''Ports of Call'', [[InWhichATropeIsDescribed in which]] you are a shipowner. Ironically, the most money isn't made by sending goods from port to port, but by brokering ships. Go figure.
* ''Capitalism II'', where you're the CEO of a corporation, literally ''is'' this trope. Website/{{Wikipedia}} claims ''Capitalism II'' is so realistic that ''business schools use it for their lessons''.
* The ''Anno'' series.
* ''VideoGame/UnchartedWaters'' and its sequel, ''VideoGame/UnchartedWatersNewHorizons''.
* ''EastIndiaCompany'', where you get to build up the [[TheEastIndiaCompany titular]] MegaCorp from the ground up.
* ''{{VideoGame/MULE}}'', one of the first.
* ''VideoGame/CartLife'' has you attempting to start and maintain a retail cart in the city. The game is notable for including [[StoryToGameplayRatio a lot more plot and character development than is typical for the genre.]]
* In the browser-based nation sim ''{{VideoGame/PoliticsAndWar}}'' players can produce and trade resources to other players.

* ''VideoGame/AmericanTruckSimulator'' and ''VideoGame/EuroTruckSimulator'': You start out with just a rusty old garage and no truck, and you must work as a driver for hire while you gather enough money to buy your own truck. Then you need to gather a couple hundred thousand dollars/euros to expand your garage to accommodate three more trucks, buy another truck and hire a driver. Rinse and repeat until you have hundreds of drivers and one garage on each city.
* The primary focus of ''VideoGame/HouseFlipper'' is on buying properties, fixing them up, and reselling them on auction for a profit. You can also haggle for a better price.

* ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'' has elements of this with villages. You can expand villages by building more beds and breeding more villagers. You can trade with villagers, and doing enough trading will level up villagers, unlocking access to more advanced trades.

* ''Capitalism II'', where you're the CEO of a corporation, literally ''is'' this trope. Wiki/{{Wikipedia}} claims ''Capitalism II'' is so realistic that ''business schools use it for their lessons''.

* In ''Patrician III'' the player is an IntrepidMerchant of the Medieval Hanseatic League.

* ''VideoGame/AmericanTruckSimulator'' and ''VideoGame/EuroTruckSimulator'': You start out with just a rusty old garage and no truck, and you must work as a driver for hire while you gather enough money to buy your own truck. Then you need to gather a couple hundred thousand dollars/euros to expand your garage to accomodate three more trucks, buy another truck and hire a driver. Rinse and repeat until you have hundreds of drivers and one garage on each city.

* ''VideoGame/{{Yakuza 0}}'' has business ventures that allow the player to accrue money quickly: Kiryu leads a real estate office, buying up and maintaining property while jockeying with other real estate agencies; while Majima manages a hostess club, training his female workers and tending to customers. The hostess club sidequest returns in the remake of ''Videogame/Yakuza2'', only this time Kiryu's running the club (the exact same one from 0 to be exact).

* ''VideoGame/{{Caravanner}}'', despite being an Flash game, simulates an entire economy, with working supply and demand. Towns can go bankcrupt from you selling too much goods to them.

* ''VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2'' have Join Avenue, which the player is assigned to manage since the owner is busy. As manager, the player can invite [=NPCs=] or acquaintances from Wi-Fi to open shops there, and recommend shops for visitors to improve business, as well as shop there themselves. The better a store's popularity, the better its stock.

* The ''VideoGame/BreathOfFire'' games starting with the [[VideoGame/BreathOfFireII second one]] allowed you to build and manage a full Town. In II, you can bring [=NPCs=] to populate the place. There are some very specific characters that will help your party in various ways, two of which will turn the town into a Town'''[[GlobalAirship ship]]''', which in turn is essential for the GoldenEnding. In the next games, ''VideoGame/BreathOfFireIII'', ''[[VideoGame/BreathOfFireIV IV]]'' and ''[[Videogame/BreathOfFireDragonQuarter Dragon Quarter]]'', it's a fairy village. You now assign fairies (or worker ants in the last one) specific jobs from landscaping (at least until the whole village is clear), architecture[[note]]exploration in ''DQ''[[/note]] (until all buildings are done), and hunting (for food stocks which would increase the village's population and maintain their numbers, III and IV only), before giving them jobs that would again help the party in various ways.

[[folder:Non Video Game Examples]]

* ''[[http://uk.europe1400.com/ Europe 1400]]'' has you establishing a mercantile dynasty in [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin 15th century Europe]], there's also a bit of [[DeadlyDecadentCourt medieval politics]] involved.