by Friedrich Jaeger

“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan ‘Press On’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”

Over the years, when reading about successful entrepreneurs, I’ve asked myself, “What is the recipe for success?” I believe the answer lies in the above quote from our thirtieth president. Failure comes not from falling down, but from one’s inability to get up and continue moving forward.

During the recent presidential election, we all heard a lot about change. And change certainly is in the air, both in the halls of Washington, D.C., and on the beaches of Southwest Florida. During the thirteen years of our publication, we’ve seen our fair share of change. But we’ve learned how change can be good, and how weathering storms can sometimes help companies become even stronger down the road.

The real estate market, and indeed the entire economy, is in a state of uncertainty and subject to drastic changes. In this market, however, you will find individuals who are not succumbing to the negativity of naysayers. They are sticking to their guns. With dogged determination, they are going back to the basics.

The last quarter of 2008 was a very busy time for us at Times of the Islands and RSW Living magazines. We welcomed new advertisers to our family of clients, and our subscriber base increased significantly. We also have some new faces in the office. Jacqueline Gallogly has taken on the role of financial administrator, and Kimberly Sinclair, Agnes Kiely and Trista Versaggi have joined our growing sales team as account executives.

While we welcomed some new players to our team, we have also said goodbye to a longtime staff member. Lauren Davies, who spent ten years working diligently to help grow our publications, decided it was time to seek some change of her own. We wish her all the best and thank her for her years of service. With sadness, we also marked the passing of our longtime staff photographer Kathleen Blase, who lost her battle with cancer. Her photos have appeared on our pages since our premier issue in 1996, and she will be deeply missed.

Other magazines may have come and gone, both on the local and national scene. But we plan to be here for the long haul. In fact, be on the lookout for our upcoming expansion into additional territories in the area. In the meantime, this marks the one-year anniversary of the launch of RSW Living magazine, our highly successful publication focused on the people and places of Southwest Florida, which seems poised for even greater growth in the future.

Business is all about relationships, and we strive to develop strong ones with our readers and advertisers. So, we’ll continue to bring our readers the high-quality editorial content they expect from us. In this issue, we focus on all things water-related, with stories covering everything from a local sailing instructor and waterfront restaurants to coastal destinations like Kauai and Lake Powell.

Likewise, we’ll continue to serve our advertisers, a truly integral part of our operation, by helping them grow their businesses and position themselves for future success—two things which, no matter what, will never change.