A landscape supply company provides customers supplies to beautify their lawns and gardens. This type of business can be highly profitable if you have the necessary skills and resources to run it properly. Careful planning and management are required to be able to serve your customers' year-round landscaping needs.

Structure your business entity. In order to legally run your business you can form a sole proprietorship, LLC, or corporation. Visit your secretary of state’s website to form a LLC or corporation online. You could also contact your attorney or certified public accountant to establish your business entity for you.

Obtain a tax ID number from the IRS. Your tax ID number will allow you to hire employees. It will also let you start to build business credit if you plan on someday expanding your business. You can obtain your tax ID number by going to the IRS website and applying, calling an IRS representative over the phone, or printing form SS-4 from the IRS website and mailing it in.

Check with your local chamber of commerce or secretary of state to determine if business licenses are required to operate your business. The business license approval process varies from state to state, so be sure to follow your state's procedures.

Determine if you want to operate your business online with just a website, to purchase and operate a brick-and-mortar store, or both. Operating solely online will allow for lower overhead than a brick-and-mortar business. If you opt to operate at a physical location, determine the area you would like to operate in so you can locate a building to lease.

Find suppliers that can offer the landscape supplies you need to sell to your customers. Your local chamber of commerce can help identify suppliers in your area. They may also be able to connect you with importer/exporters who will allow you to find landscaping supplies overseas at lower rates.

Establish a merchant account to be able to accept credit cards and checks. A merchant account processor will process and approve payments made by credit card or check and will take a fee and a percentage from each sale. You can locate merchant processors by contacting your local bank or searching online. Cardservice International is an example of a merchant account processor.

Create marketing materials to target your customers. Establish a website, print business cards and flyers, and purchase ads in local newspapers and magazines. You can hire a graphic designer to assist you in creating your marketing materials. You can find freelancers in your area on getafreelancer.com, Elance.com, or guru.com.