Early Life
Rolando Fonticoba was born in Miami, Florida in 1980 to Cuban refugee parents who were passionate about politics and fighting for freedom. From a very young age, Rolando was exposed to the world of politics, attending events and meeting city council members, mayors, and other public officials. His parents even started a newspaper called “Libertad” (meaning “Freedom” in Spanish) that Rolando helped with by working on the art and layout. This was back in the days before computers, so they used typewriters and cardstocks, carefully preparing everything to be taken to the print shop.

At an early age, Rolando developed a passion for photography, which his father quickly recognized and put him in charge of. Despite the challenges of using film cameras and having limited rolls of film, Rolando had a natural eye for capturing balance in his shots. Perhaps it was because he was born under the sign of Libra, he liked to joke.

Education & Arts:
As a student at Hialeah Senior High, Rolando took Electronics I, II, and III. In his third year, his teacher Mr. G was surprised to see him again and jokingly exclaimed, “you again?” Since the work for Electronics III would be no different from the prior year, Mr. G gave Rolando the task of building the school’s website. Without any teaching or guidance, Rolando was given a book and the software Microsoft Frontpage and was told to figure it out on his own. And so he did, creating the school’s website all on his own. Later on, Rolando discovered Message Board Forums, which opened up a whole new world for him.

After graduating high school, Rolando’s passion for hip hop led him to dive deeper into the music scene. He began writing his own songs and posting them on hip hop forums. Eventually, he made connections with local artists who introduced him to industry professionals. Rolando also worked for Michael Bennett, the Art Director for the Miami Times, where he learned graphic design skills using Adobe Photoshop.

Rolando’s newly acquired graphic design skills helped him to design mixtape covers and posters for hip hop artists in his city. But he didn’t stop there. He realized that there was a gap in the market for a platform where people could discover and learn about up-and-coming hip hop artists from Miami. That’s when he came up with the idea for 305HipHop, a website that quickly became popular and helped him build alliances throughout the city, neighboring counties, and even the state.

Thanks to his hard work and dedication, Rolando won several awards for his contributions to the underground hip hop scene. However, despite the accolades, he knew that success was not guaranteed and that he needed to find a way to make a living doing what he loved.

Real World
As a self-taught graphic designer, Rolando created a design agency to service all types of businesses. He offered printing solutions as well, using his experiences with commercial printing to find local print shops to print his designs and then markup the price for his customers.

After a decade of running his own agency, Rolando’s life changed when he met the love of his life, who happened to have an aunt running a printing business. This connection allowed him to expand his relationships and partnerships, eventually leading to print shops throughout the United States.

So Why Create A Company Solely To Help Landscape Companies Advertise Themselves?
One of Rolando’s wife’s relatives is in the landscaping business and owns a nursery. After helping them out with their business, he realized that the landscaping industry is underserved, much like the Miami Hip Hop scene was when he created 305HipHop. He noticed the entrepreneurial spirit of little kids with nothing more than a lawn mower, and how some of them turn into successful business owners that service Fortune 500 companies. Rolando believes that the only difference between those kids and the successful adults is positioning and messaging. With the relationships he’s acquired throughout the years and the influences they’ve had on his life, he feels that people just need the right tool and a desire for accomplishment. He feels he can help many of those achieve their dreams with guidance on how to present themselves and level up their business.