>Experts,
>
>This question maybe in the realm of best practices in regards to developing software / applications for small business owners. I have a client who has multiple small businesses and requested an application that would be able to handle multiple businesses and the customers and products associated with them.
>
>What is everyone's opinon on being faced with this sort of request? My initial thoughts are to allow the user to register (for the first time upon installing), and then figuring out a way to force the user to create xx number of business profiles. Is this good practice? Any recommendations on doing this or NOT doing this?

We used to have an accounting app which sort of integrated with other business apps of ours (various types of warehousing, costing, production tracking etc) when applied to a single business, or it could work on its own for multiple businesses - the version designed for accountants. I don't remember whether we had an extra key to filter for a business or had a separate data folder for each (probably both, at different times, don't remember what was the final one). As for visual identity... hey those were DOS days, we had the business name in the status line :).

The pricing was different, of course, but then that wasn't my line of work - mine was to make it functional, not to sell it (though I did that at times but again sent them to my partner for prices and contract).