Former Preschool Owner Finds a Rewarding New Career Helping Disaster Victims
Sevasti Aboud (above with family) beams when talking about Rainbow Restoration®, which remedies fire, water, smoke and mold damage to residential and commercial properties. “I love my Rainbow franchise,” Aboud says. “I bleed Rainbow.” That enthusiasm infuses the culture of her Norfolk, Va., franchise. “Everything about my franchise has created a positive atmosphere,” she says. “Our team is phenomenal. We love growing. We have a culture of community.”
Aboud brought solid business experience to her Rainbow franchise. She had owned and run preschools while helping her husband with invoicing and accounting for their “true mom-and-pop business” doing construction and painting. The couple’s subcontracting sideline with a local restoration company prompted Aboud to earn her Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification, a bonus for running her Rainbow franchise.
When she left the preschool field and wanted a career change, the restoration industry beckoned to her. “With my husband’s encouragement, I reached out to three restoration franchises. Rainbow Restoration stood out immediately because the other companies were asking for my financials, and Rainbow immediately wanted to fly me and my husband out to Texas to see if we were the right fit for the franchise before asking what money we had. While we were in Waco [the Central Texas headquarters of Rainbow Restoration’s parent, Neighborly®], we quickly knew — through the people we met and the support they gave — that they were the right fit.
“They didn’t sell something to us and then drop off the support side and just collect money. They live their code of values every day — Living RICH,” which stands for Respect, Integrity, Customer focus and Having fun in the process. “They have been a close partner of our learning and success, providing support and training the entire time we have owned Rainbow.”
Training and Support
Field training is a particular strength of the brand. The Abouds were on-site with a well-established Rainbow Restoration franchise owner to witness business function in real time. The franchisee guided them through the operation from beginning to end, with explanations of how jobs were handled, how systems worked together and how decisions were made in the field.
Aboud’s franchise launched in 2018 and benefited from the couple’s strong network in the Norfolk and Hampton Roads area, where Aboud had grown up. “I know a lot of people, and they knew my husband’s and my work ethic, community involvement and trustworthiness from the beginning of any of our business ventures. People know we thrive off doing good in people’s time of need. I keep that same work ethic since day one, no matter how difficult life gets, doing the right thing and setting high standards with our team.”
The core of Aboud’s operation combines mitigation and reconstruction. The team’s work often begins with customers stressed by the aftermath of fires and floods, and Aboud and her team quickly become their heroes. “They’re going through a disaster, and we love putting their property back together for them.”
Rainbow’s Benefits
Rainbow Restoration:
- Has built a trusted 45-year track record while growing its system of 330-plus franchises.
- Enjoys recession resilience because its services are needs, not wants.
- Leverages the relationships the franchisor developed with major insurers.
- Enhances operational efficiency with state-of-the-art technology such as online appointment scheduling.
- Is a member of the 5,500-franchise Neighborly network that provides personalized coaching as well as cross-promotion opportunities with sister brands like Molly Maid® and Mr. Rooter®.
- Offers supply-chain cost advantages through the scale of Neighborly, which posts more than $4 billion in systemwide sales. The parent home-services franchisor has negotiated discounts for goods, services and equipment.
Demand for Restoration Services
As natural disasters become more frequent and costly, the demand for restoration services continues to grow. According to Climate Central, the United States experienced 23 weather and climate disasters in 2025 that each caused at least $1 billion in damage, totaling approximately $115 billion. From hurricanes and flooding to wildfires and severe storms, these events highlight the growing need for professional restoration services. For franchise owners, brands like Rainbow Restoration offer an opportunity to build a business providing essential services while helping homeowners and businesses recover from unexpected disasters.
Learn more about the Rainbow Restoration franchise opportunity.
