There are three groups you can be part of:
Rebel Alliance
Empire
and Independent
The last category is your: Crime lords, Bounty Hunters, smugglers, you get the Idea.
If you don't want to be a part of a group thats fine, you can be a farmer, a shop keeper, a spaceport manager, etc. (Or you can be a part of a group and be one of these)
If you want to run a business, you can buy one from someone else for whatever price you agree on, or start your own business, find a planet to set up shop and deduct the appropriate amount of credits to start your business.
Farm
Be a farmer.
Shop
A junk shop, parts shop, holobook shop, droid repair shop, droid shop, speeder repair shop, speeder shop, you name it.
Spaceport
Besides just letting ships park there, you can sell and repair ships. There are also extensions you can purchase for a spaceport.
Here is the cost for setting up each thing on a location:
Class 3 planet:
Farm: 1,500
Shop: 2,300
Spaceport: 5,000
Class 2 Planet:
farm: 2,500
Shop: 4,000
Spaceport: 7,000
Class 1 planet:
Farm: 4,000 (Cannot buy a farm on Coruscant)
Shop: 7,000
Spaceport: 15,000
Spaceport extensions
(This is what you pay to add this to your spaceport, you can charge customers whatever you want.)
Droid sale: 3,500
Droid Repair: 1,000
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Torri Kayder