Diversification is the number one rule for safe investing. Even if some of the investments in a well-varied portfolio fail, others are likely to survive or even thrive. By spreading his purchases, an investor can protect his money even during serious economic crises.

Temuri Nanikashvili, CEO of London-based Worldwide Investments, has kept his clients' portfolios healthy by putting their funds into a wide range of carefully selected investments. “Most of our investors have seen an upward trend, which is rare in this economic downturn,” he said. “The recession has affected some of our centers, but we're well diversified. All our investors are very satisfied with our returns. It’s our goal to make them satisfied, no matter what the cost.”

Nanikashvili has been working in the financial sector since he was 18. He started at the Dime Savings Bank of New York working for Richard Parsons, who went on to become the CEO of Time Warner and is now the chairman of Citigroup. Of the thousands of employees there, Nanikashvili soon became the top producer. “It was a great experience; it led me to believe that a long-term vision with integrity would take you very far in life.” He started his own company in 1990, and he has since matured Worldwide Investments into an enterprise with global clientele and investments in almost 100 anchored shopping centers.

And it’s not just investing; Nanikashvili knows the value of branching out. “Our business is so lucrative because we’re very diversified,” he said. One stream of revenue comes from name-brand product buyouts, made profitable by economies of scale. “We buy various products from major manufacturers at bulk prices—hundreds of thousands at a time—and then we sell them in large quantities to major organizations,” he explained.

Innovative ideas like this keep the company lucrative, but profits are not the only priority. Nanikashvili is very involved in philanthropy, contributing to a number of diverse organizations based everywhere from his home in New York to down south in Florida, and as far away as England and even Israel.

Nanikashvili believes that his achievements are related directly to his insistence on providing absolutely reliable service to his clients. “We're always there when we say we are. There's a no-excuse rule in my company,” he said. “We've kept our word, and now our word has helped us thrive.”

But that’s not Nanikashvili’s only secret to success. He gives credit to his family for their support as he worked to get his business off the ground. “My wife Maya has always been so helpful to me,” he said, recalling how she traveled with him on business trips around the world. Today, exploring foreign countries has become their shared hobby. “She and my daughters, Juliette and Tiffany, make the all the hard work worthwhile.”