Business Units

A Business Unit is an isolated operational setup within your FlexPortal organization. Each Business Unit manages its own currency, tax rules, product catalog, payment accounts, configuration, and API access — completely independent from other Business Units. Common use cases:

Store USD and Store EUR — same products, different currencies
B2B Operations and B2C Operations — different pricing and payment terms
Netherlands and Germany — same currency (EUR) but different VAT rates
Test and Production — safe testing without affecting live data

What Each Business Unit Controls

Each Business Unit operates independently with:

Component	What’s Separated	Example
Currency	All pricing, payments, and reporting in one currency	EUR for Netherlands BU, USD for US BU
Tax Rules	VAT rates, sales tax, regional tax requirements	21% VAT in NL, 0% in Dubai, 8.25% sales tax in CA
Payment Accounts	Stripe account, bank account, merchant processor	Separate Stripe account per region
Product Catalog	Products, variants, pricing tiers	Different products per market
API Keys	Isolated access, separate integrations	US team can’t access EU data
Reporting	Independent dashboards and financial reports	Each BU has own P&L

Business Units are completely isolated. A customer in Business Unit A cannot order products from Business Unit B. Assets from one Business Unit cannot be transferred to another.

Organization Structure

Your FlexPortal account has this hierarchy:

Organization: TechRent Global
├── Business Unit: Netherlands (EUR)
│   ├── Products: 150 items
│   ├── Customers: 2,400
│   ├── Active Subscriptions: 1,800
│   └── API Key: pk_live_nl_...
├── Business Unit: United States (USD)
│   ├── Products: 200 items
│   ├── Customers: 3,100
│   ├── Active Subscriptions: 2,500
│   └── API Key: pk_live_us_...
└── Business Unit: Dubai (AED)
    ├── Products: 80 items
    ├── Customers: 450
    ├── Active Subscriptions: 320
    └── API Key: pk_live_ae_...

When to Use Multiple Business Units

Create separate Business Units for these scenarios:

1. Different Countries

Each country requires different currency and tax treatment. Example: EU vs US Operations

Aspect	Netherlands BU	United States BU
Currency	EUR	USD
Tax	21% VAT	State sales tax (0-10%)
Payment Account	Stripe NL	Stripe US
Product Catalog	European models	US models
Pricing	Higher (VAT included)	Lower (tax varies)
Invoicing	VAT format required	Sales tax format

Why Separate:

Cannot mix EUR and USD in same Business Unit
VAT and sales tax have different reporting requirements
Payment processors often separate by country
Product availability differs by market

2. Different Brands

Run multiple brands under one organization with separate product lines. Example: Premium vs Budget Brand

Aspect	LuxeTech (Premium)	ValueTech (Budget)
Product Range	Latest flagships	Previous-gen models
Pricing	$120-200/month	$40-80/month
Target Market	Business customers	Students, individuals
Payment Terms	Net 30 for businesses	Immediate payment
Branding	Separate domain, logo	Separate domain, logo

Why Separate:

Different product catalogs and pricing strategies
Separate brand identities and customer bases
Different payment and credit terms
Independent financial reporting

3. Different Business Lines

Separate B2B and B2C operations with different requirements. Example: Consumer vs Business Operations

Aspect	B2C Business Unit	B2B Business Unit
Customers	Individuals	Companies
Contract Terms	12-24 months	36-48 months
Pricing	Standard retail	Volume discounts
Billing	Monthly auto-pay	Net 30 invoicing
Payment Method	Card	Bank transfer
Support	Self-service	Dedicated account manager

Why Separate:

Different pricing structures and terms
Different billing and payment workflows
Separate reporting for consumer vs enterprise
Different operational requirements

Currency and Configuration

Each Business Unit operates in a single currency with its own configuration. This is fundamental to how FlexPortal works.

Example: USD Store vs EUR Store

A company selling the same laptop in US and Europe needs two Business Units:

Setting	US Store (USD)	Europe Store (EUR)
Currency	USD	EUR
Monthly price	$99	€89
Tax handling	Sales tax (varies by state)	VAT 21% (included)
Payment account	Stripe US	Stripe EU
Invoice format	US standard	EU VAT format
API key	`pk_live_us_...`	`pk_live_eu_...`

Same product. Completely separate operations.

Why Separate Business Units?

Currency is fixed — cannot mix EUR and USD in one Business Unit
Tax rules differ — VAT vs sales tax have different logic
Payment processors — often require separate accounts per region
Reporting — each BU has independent financial reports
Compliance — different invoicing requirements per region

FlexPortal does not convert currencies. Each Business Unit operates entirely in its configured currency. Need USD and EUR? Create two Business Units.

Tax Configuration

Tax rules are configured per Business Unit to match local requirements.

Tax Setup Examples

Netherlands (VAT):

Default rate: 21% VAT
Applied to all subscription payments
VAT number required for business customers
Reverse charge for EU business customers

United States (Sales Tax):

Varies by state: 0% to 10%
Configured per customer shipping address
Nexus requirements per state
Tax-exempt status for qualified organizations

Dubai (VAT):

Standard rate: 5% VAT
Applied to taxable supplies
Zero-rated for certain categories
TRN (Tax Registration Number) on invoices

Payment Accounts

Each Business Unit connects to its own payment processor account.

Stripe Integration (Coming Soon)

When Stripe integration launches, each Business Unit will connect to a separate Stripe account:

Netherlands BU → Stripe Account NL → EUR bank account
US BU → Stripe Account US → USD bank account
Dubai BU → Stripe Account AE → AED bank account

This ensures:

Payments collected in the correct currency
Compliance with local payment regulations
Separate financial reporting per region
Independent payout schedules

Manual Payment Tracking (Current)

Currently, you manage payment collection externally and mark payments as paid in FlexPortal. Each Business Unit tracks its own payment records.

API Access

Each Business Unit has separate API keys. Your integration specifies which Business Unit to access.

API Key Format

pk_live_nl_abc123xyz  → Netherlands Business Unit
pk_live_us_def456uvw  → United States Business Unit
pk_live_ae_ghi789rst  → Dubai Business Unit

Making API Calls

Include the API key for the specific Business Unit you want to access:

# Create order in Netherlands BU
curl https://api-eu.flexportal.io/orders \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer pk_live_nl_abc123xyz" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "customer_email": "customer@example.nl",
    "items": [...]
  }'

# Create order in US BU
curl https://api-us.flexportal.io/orders \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer pk_live_us_def456uvw" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "customer_email": "customer@example.com",
    "items": [...]
  }'

API keys cannot access data across Business Units. Using a Netherlands API key to access US Business Unit data will fail authentication.

Dashboard Access

Users can be granted access to specific Business Units within the organization.

User Permissions

Access Level	What They Can Do
Organization Admin	Access all Business Units, create new Business Units, manage billing
Business Unit Admin	Full access to assigned Business Units only
Business Unit User	Limited access to assigned Business Units (view-only or specific permissions)

Example Setup:

Emma (Organization Admin)
├── Can access: All Business Units
├── Can create: New Business Units
└── Can manage: Organization billing and users

James (BU Admin - Netherlands)
├── Can access: Netherlands BU only
├── Cannot access: US or Dubai BUs
└── Can manage: Products, orders, subscriptions in Netherlands

Sarah (BU Admin - United States)
├── Can access: US BU only
├── Cannot access: Netherlands or Dubai BUs
└── Can manage: Products, orders, subscriptions in US

Creating a Business Unit

When you create a new Business Unit, you configure:

Basic Information

Business Unit name, default language, timezone

Currency & Tax

Operating currency (cannot be changed later), default tax rate, tax ID

Payment Settings

Payment processor connection (Stripe, manual), bank details for invoices

API Access

Generate API keys for this Business Unit

Currency cannot be changed after Business Unit creation. Choose carefully based on your primary operating market.

Real-World Examples

Example 1: Regional Expansion

DeviceFlow started in the Netherlands and expanded to Belgium and Germany: Initial Setup:

Organization: DeviceFlow
└── Business Unit: Netherlands (EUR)
    ├── Products: 100 items
    ├── Pricing: Standard EU pricing
    └── Tax: 21% VAT

After Expansion:

Organization: DeviceFlow
├── Business Unit: Netherlands (EUR)
│   ├── Tax: 21% VAT
│   └── Customers: Dutch market
├── Business Unit: Belgium (EUR)
│   ├── Tax: 21% VAT
│   └── Customers: Belgian market
└── Business Unit: Germany (EUR)
    ├── Tax: 19% VAT
    └── Customers: German market

Even though all three use EUR, they’re separate Business Units because:

Different VAT rates (Germany 19% vs others 21%)
Different local regulations and invoicing requirements
Separate operational teams per country
Independent financial reporting

Example 2: Brand Portfolio

TechRent Group operates multiple brands:

Organization: TechRent Group
├── Business Unit: TechRent Pro (USD)
│   ├── Target: Business customers
│   ├── Products: Enterprise laptops, workstations
│   ├── Pricing: \$150-300/month
│   └── Contract: 36-48 months
├── Business Unit: TechRent Home (USD)
│   ├── Target: Consumers
│   ├── Products: Consumer electronics
│   ├── Pricing: \$40-100/month
│   └── Contract: 12-24 months
└── Business Unit: TechRent Student (USD)
    ├── Target: Students
    ├── Products: Budget laptops, tablets
    ├── Pricing: \$25-60/month
    └── Contract: 9-12 months (academic year)

Example 3: Test Environment

FlexDevice uses a separate Business Unit for testing:

Organization: FlexDevice
├── Business Unit: Production (EUR)
│   ├── Live customer data
│   ├── Real payment processing
│   └── Production API keys
└── Business Unit: Test (EUR)
    ├── Test customer data
    ├── Sandbox payment processing
    └── Test API keys

This allows safe testing without affecting production data.

Reporting & Analytics

Each Business Unit has independent reporting:

Report Type	Scope
Income Reports	Per Business Unit only
Cost Recovery	Assets and subscriptions within BU
Customer Analytics	Customers within BU
Payment Reports	Payments within BU
Tax Reports	Tax collected within BU

Organization admins can view consolidated reports across all Business Units.

Migration & Data Transfer

Business Units are permanent separations. You cannot:

Move a customer from one Business Unit to another
Transfer a subscription between Business Units
Share products across Business Units
Merge Business Units

If you need to migrate operations between Business Units, you must:

Create new orders in the target Business Unit
Activate new subscriptions with asset reassignment
End original subscriptions in the source Business Unit

Plan your Business Unit structure carefully before starting operations. Restructuring later requires manual data migration.

Getting Started

Platform

Operations

Integrations

Resources

What Each Business Unit Controls

Organization Structure

When to Use Multiple Business Units

1. Different Countries

2. Different Brands

3. Different Business Lines

Currency and Configuration

Example: USD Store vs EUR Store

Why Separate Business Units?

Tax Configuration

Tax Setup Examples

Payment Accounts

Stripe Integration (Coming Soon)

Manual Payment Tracking (Current)

API Access

API Key Format

Making API Calls

Dashboard Access

User Permissions

Creating a Business Unit

Real-World Examples

Example 1: Regional Expansion

Example 2: Brand Portfolio

Example 3: Test Environment

Reporting & Analytics

Migration & Data Transfer

Next Steps

Platform Overview

API Reference

​What Each Business Unit Controls

​Organization Structure

​When to Use Multiple Business Units

​1. Different Countries

​2. Different Brands

​3. Different Business Lines

​Currency and Configuration

​Example: USD Store vs EUR Store

​Why Separate Business Units?

​Tax Configuration

​Tax Setup Examples

​Payment Accounts

​Stripe Integration (Coming Soon)

​Manual Payment Tracking (Current)

​API Access

​API Key Format

​Making API Calls

​Dashboard Access

​User Permissions

​Creating a Business Unit

​Real-World Examples

​Example 1: Regional Expansion

​Example 2: Brand Portfolio

​Example 3: Test Environment

​Reporting & Analytics

​Migration & Data Transfer

​Next Steps

Platform Overview

API Reference

What Each Business Unit Controls

Organization Structure

When to Use Multiple Business Units

1. Different Countries

2. Different Brands

3. Different Business Lines

Currency and Configuration

Example: USD Store vs EUR Store

Why Separate Business Units?

Tax Configuration

Tax Setup Examples

Payment Accounts

Stripe Integration (Coming Soon)

Manual Payment Tracking (Current)

API Access

API Key Format

Making API Calls

Dashboard Access

User Permissions

Creating a Business Unit

Real-World Examples

Example 1: Regional Expansion

Example 2: Brand Portfolio

Example 3: Test Environment

Reporting & Analytics

Migration & Data Transfer

Next Steps