Step 2 — Business configuration: industry and product type

What this step does

Step 2 defines the type of business you operate and the accounting structure that will support it. Usystems includes specialized configurations for different industries (pharmacy, retail, healthcare, manufacturing, etc.). Your choice determines which accounting accounts are created by default, which document types are available, and which features are enabled.

Before you start

• Identify your primary business type from the list (e.g., pharmacy, retail, healthcare/hospital, gas station, manufacturing).
• If your business spans multiple types (e.g., a clinic with an in-house pharmacy), choose the primary one now; you can enable secondary modules later.
• Understand that changing this after Step 2 is possible but may require reconfiguring accounts and re-seeding some data—choose carefully.

Steps

1. View the industry list. The wizard displays a set of predefined business types, each with a short description of what it includes.

2. Select your industry type. Click the option that best describes your business. Common examples:

   • Pharmacy — inventory-based sales of medications and supplies; includes stock management and expiry tracking.
   • Retail — general merchandise sales; includes POS and inventory management.
   • Healthcare (Hospital/Clinic) — patient care and medical records; includes queue management and service-based billing.
   • Manufacturing — production and assembly; includes work orders and material costing.
   • Gas Station — fuel sales and simple inventory; includes POS and fuel-grade tracking.
   • Service Business — time-based or project-based services; minimal inventory.

3. Confirm the accounting variant. Based on your selection, the system suggests a default accounting structure. For example:

   • Inventory-heavy businesses (pharmacy, retail) get "accounting-inventory" (cost-of-goods-sold tracking, warehouse accounts).
   • Service-only businesses get "accounting-service" (simplest structure, revenue and expense only).
   • Hybrid businesses get "accounting-inventory-service" (both inventory and service lines).

4. Review the description shown for each option to understand what accounts and features you will get.

5. Select Continue to proceed to Step 3, where the required accounts are automatically created based on your choice.

Accounting impact

Your industry choice determines the initial chart of accounts. For example:

• Pharmacy/retail businesses will have accounts for Cost of Goods Sold and Warehouse automatically created.
• Service businesses will have accounts for Revenue (service) and Operating Expenses.
• Manufacturing will include Raw Materials, Work in Progress, and Finished Goods accounts.

You can add custom accounts after setup, but the default accounts provide the structure required for your industry.

Tips & common mistakes

• Hybrid businesses: if you operate both inventory sales and services (e.g., a clinic with a pharmacy), select the "inventory-service" variant if available, or start with inventory and add service modules later.
• Future expansion: do not overthink this step. Usystems allows you to add modules and accounts after setup; your choice now is primarily about defaults.
• Regional variants: some industries may have region-specific configurations (e.g., different tax structures in different countries). The wizard may show these as separate options.
• Changing industry later: while possible, it requires administrative action and may disrupt financial records. Choose carefully, but do not panic if you need to adjust—contact support if unsure.