How to Write a Merchant? – Another Humanity

Identity

Initiative
Is there something to do?
Is there a need?
Is there an unexploited niche?
Is a concurrent getting weaker?
Do they start providing unsatisfying products?
Is there a new Technology available?
Who’s interested by it?
Who’s willing to pay for it?
Who else maybe willing to pay?
How should we show these people this Product solve their issue?

Commercial Empathy
Who wants what?
Why do they have trouble getting it?
How can we relate to this trouble?
How can we expose advantages out of this situation?
How is the situation an issue from the other person’s perspective?
How is this perspective built?
On which base?
Did this person verify her assumptions?
How did she establish them?
Is there another issue?
How can you solve it?
How did she plan to solve it?
Why did it fail?
Could a single product solve multiple of her issues?

Profiteer
What is the best price?
How low can you buy this item?
How much can you resell it?
Why can you make a profit on it?
How can you make a profit on it?
How needed is this item?
Why do people need it?
Is it vital for them?
How much would they pay for it?
- Independently from its value.
How can you increase its value?
How does scarcity affect its price?

Weaponry & Status

Guns
What’s the character’s relationship to Guns?
Which guns does she hold onto herself?
Which guns does she use?
Which guns does she expose?
How many guns does she own?
What are their properties?
Which are her favorite guns?
Why?
Is she attached to them?
Where they given to her?
By whom?
When does she use them?

Relationships
What’s her relationship to the Government?
Is she part of the Government?
Does she partner with a Agencies?
Which Agencies?
Which benefits to they bring her?
Does she work with a Militia?
Does she own a Militia?
What is her relationship to the Houses of her World?
Does she need their anointment?
How does she see Nobility?
How does she see Aristocracy?
Does she use Propaganda?
When does she use it?
Does she use Defamation?
Does she use Bashing?
When does she use these means?
Towards whom?

Knowledge
Does she contract with Agents?
Does she employ with Agents?
Does she develop relationships with Journalists?
Which type of Journalist?
Which type of information do they bring her?
Which link does she establish with Regular People?
How does she speak to them?
How does she communicate with them?
What value does she bring them?
How does she gather Educators around her?
How does she use the Public education system?
Does she use it to influence future employees?
How does she Deepen her relationships with Students?
How does she Deepen her relationships with Researchers?
How does she influence Cult Leaders?
How does she influence Cultists?
Does she use ceremonies to herd new customers?
How does she channel her messages?

Money
Did she built Monopolies?
Is she part of an Oligopoly?
Which kind of Oligopoly?
What are their scale?
In which field?
Does she work which Cartels?
Does she organize Cartels on a certain resource?
Does she offer Gifts?
Who does she offer them to?
When does she make Donations?
In which domains does she grant Boons?
In which causes does she funnel her money?
How does these financial transfers Enlarge her influence?
How much land does she own?
How does she use this land?

A Mission

Why?
Why did she decide to become wealthy?
Why did she start this Journey?
Why at this age?
Why did she decide to quit the place she was born?
Why did she decided to gather people around her?
Why did she become popular?
Why did she start this Company?
Why did she start this Business?

Customers
Who are her Customers?
How well does she know them?
How can she be sure that she knows them?
How can she deliver them the Best Products?
How can she deliver them the Best Service?
How does she ensure their Satisfaction?
How does she influence their decisions?
How does she find them?
When do they begin to incentivize the brand?
When do they turn into Ambassadors?
What benefits does it bring them?

Employees
Who are her Employees?
How are they employed?
How are they trained?
How does she ensure their development?
How do their wishes match their qualifications?
How is their initiative developed?
How is their collaboration spirit developed?
How does she ensure that their aspirations evolve?
How does she ensure their Satisfaction?

My Shop, My Home
How did she find her Shop?
Does she live there?
How is the Shop organized?
How does it function?
When was it built?
By whom?
How did she decorate it?
Which features does it present?
Who frequents her Shop the most?
Is she a Travelling Merchant?

How to become a Wealthy merchant?

Best Products
1. What are the best Products?
2. What does best mean?
3. How should the product be marketed?
Best Prices
1. Does best means cheapest?
2. Are there prices that are detrimental to the buyer?
3. How much should the customer pay?
Renewed Satisfaction
1. What are the customers looking for?
2. How to turn people into customers?
3. What are people ready to pay for?
4. What do they want for free?
Real Estate
1. How many buildings does the Character own?
2. How many buildings does she rent?
3. How much buildings does she sell on a yearly basis?
4. When does she sell them?
5. How do they appreciate?
6. Does she use Whole Life Insurance to refinance them?
7. How many Partnership a year does she conclude?
8. Which Partners contribute the most?
Financial Optimization
1. Does the Character need an Accountant?
2. Does the Character need a Financial Advisor?
3. What should she buy to reduce her expenses?
4. What should she buy to reduce her taxes?
5. What does the Government incentivize?

Types of Merchant

Shopkeeper
How much time does she spend in the Shop?
Is she always present?
Does she show the clients around?
Does she counsel them on products?
Does she organize visits of her shop?
How does she embellish it?
How does she promote it?
What are the business hours?
Is the shop always open?
What are the quirks of the shop?
Who else works there?

Crafter
Does she invent new products?
What’s her definition of Innovation?
What’s her definition of Creativity?
What’s her definition of Novelty?
What’s her definition of Diversity?
Which Technology does she use?
Which Technology does she build?
How does she choose her collaborators?
How does she choose her partners?
Which skills should they possess?
Which techniques should they know?

Tycoon
Which kind of companies does she own?
Does she own them partially?
Does she own Banks?
Does she own Hotels?
In which regions are they deployed?
How does she extend her brand in these regions?
How does she manage localization?
How does she adapt her products & services?
Why are these regions lacking these products or services?
Which Governments contract with them?
How does she create out-of-competition areas?
How can she create out-of-competition products?

Cook
How should a merchant please her customers?
What is her favorite recipe?
How did she built her Restaurant?
Did she built it?
Did she inherit it?
Did she buy it?
Why did the previous owner get rid of it?
How does she make her Restaurant unique?
Is there an Orchard?
Are there Gardens?
Is there a Pond?
Which dishes are served?
Does the cook hunt?
Does the cook fish?

Roles & Skills

Sponsor
How does she write Contracts?
Does she have a legal team?
Who does she Contract with?
Who does she Partner with?
Which Types of Contract does she sign?
Does she do work for hire?
Does she sign Ventures?
What is her Corporate model?
How does she create Corporations?
Did she create Guilds?
What are these Guilds’ rules?
How can 1 join them?
Which Relationships does she open to her allies?

Supplier
Does she grow plants?
Does she farm?
How much of her property is Alive?
- Animals
- Plants
How much of her property is Inert?
- Real Estate
- Ore
How can this property self-replicate?
How does she gather Resources?
How does she manage Resources?
How does she supply her teams?

Builder
What are her Crafting skills?
Is she a Smith?
Can she create Weaponry?
Can she create Buildings?
Can she create Vehicles?
Does she craft Jewels?
Does she craft Precious artifacts?
Does she craft Rare Products?
Does she craft New Products?
Are their products only she can craft?
Does she protect the means of production?
Does she protect the means of recipe?

Leader
How does she choose Managers?
How do the Managers manage the Employees?
How do the Managers manage the Operators?
How do they manage the expanses?
How do they manage the expanses?
How do they manage the Company’s public image?
How does she manage her Reputation?
How does she interact with people she appreciates?
How does she interact with people she dislikes?