Meet Mary Sarmiento | Co-Owner of GoViroBlast & Mother of Two

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mary Sarmiento and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mary, how does your business help the community?
The whole reason my husband and I started our business is because we saw a need in the community and we thought we could make a difference. Our company provides commercial and residential disinfecting services. Basically, that means that we come into your home or business and get rid of pretty much anything that could make you sick- viruses, bacteria, fungi, molds, allergens, and more. We had never heard of a service like this before the pandemic, but thinking back on that time, we wish that more businesses and institutions had been better about keeping their spaces clean and disinfected. When our kids started daycare, they immediately got sick. Whenever we would go anyplace with lots of people or where there were tons of things for our kids to touch, at least one of us would end up sick a few days later. Once the pandemic started, we saw how fearful people were of going to everyday places- grocery stores, hair salons, the gym, so when the idea of GoViroBlast came to us, it was motivated by a deep desire to help create healthier spaces for everyone in our community to gather without fear.

I’m really excited to be able to give back to the community in another way through our Disinfecting Denver Initiative. Through this initiative, each month members of the community have an opportunity to nominate their favorite small business for a chance to win a free disinfecting service. The past year and a half has been extremely difficult for small business owners. By providing free services, we hope to show our appreciation and gratitude for all that small businesses do for the community while also helping businesses to keep their viral load low so that their doors can stay open.

As both a mother and business owner, I am also really thrilled with the disinfecting product that we use at GoViroBlast. So many products that are effective at killing germs are also harmful to your health. We managed to find a great product that is so effective and safe that it’s now all I use in my home. The reassuring feeling that I now have when I clean my own home is what we strive to bring to everyone who enters a home or business we have disinfected. We truly hope that what we do helps the people in our community to feel calm and safe and that it promotes the health and well-being of everyone in Colorado.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
My business is called GoViroBlast, and I co-own the business along with my husband. We provide commercial and residential disinfecting services in the Denver metro area. Every single day we feel grateful to live in such a beautiful place with such a large and diverse population. We started this business as a way to make a positive contribution to our community and to connect with others in the community through our work.

We’ve definitely faced more challenges than we expected in starting this business. One of our biggest challenges has just been getting people to know that we’re here. Our disinfecting solution has been proven effective at killing the SARS-CoV2 virus (Covid-19), and we think it’s important for our customers to know this. Unfortunately, when we tried to advertise our services through Facebook and Google Ads, our use of the word Covid raised a red flag which resulted in our ads getting rejected and even our Facebook ad account getting disabled. It seems that in an effort to avoid widespread panic or confusion through misinformation, the algorithms used by advertising platforms have been optimized to filter any content with the phrase Covid-19. In contrast, our goal at GoViroBlast is not to spread panic but to actually bring reassurance, calm, and order through the services we provide. This situation exposes one shortcoming of technology. It simply cannot discern certain things that a human mind can. Our entire team is very honest and hard-working, and my husband and I are in this business to help others while also supporting our own family. So, this is a continuing struggle for us- how to convey our sincerity and authenticity to potential clients as well as advertising platforms so that we can effectively reach those who can benefit the most from our services.

One of the biggest lessons we have learned is to not get discouraged by the things that we can’t control. It’s so easy to feel frustrated and angry and to blame others when things aren’t going the way you had planned. We have learned that you have to let go of those negative emotions, do your best to spread positive energy every time you interact with someone, and when something doesn’t work, just keep looking for another door, another opportunity, or another way of accomplishing your goal.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’m not sure about a whole week because there are so many amazing places to choose from and it really depends on your personal preferences, but definitely one of my favorite places to visit is Evergreen. If I had to plan a day there with my best friend, we might start the day hiking at Dedisse Park, then have a picnic lunch and stroll around Evergreen Lake. We would spend the afternoon enjoying the shops in downtown Evergreen. We definitely wouldn’t miss looking at crystals at The Crystal Garden. Finally, we would enjoy dinner at Murphy’s Mountain Grill. We’d sit on the porch there and enjoy the absolute best hamburgers, homemade lemonade, and bread pudding for dessert!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Of course, my husband! We are partners in this business and have been supportive of each other the whole way through. He has always been my biggest cheerleader in life no matter what I’m doing, and every time I begin to doubt my own strength and abilities, he is right there to remind me of who I am. I am grateful for his love, support, and friendship every day.

Although she won’t read this, the other shoutout needs to go to my mother, who passed away in 2017. She was an entrepreneur by necessity but ended up running several very successful businesses. I have thought of her so often now that I am on my own journey of entrepreneurship. She led by example. When I think about her life, I see a woman who took calculated risks, stepped in to help when she saw a need in the community, and was never afraid to be herself or go against the grain. I hope to be just as courageous and tenacious as she was.

So many other people and businesses have helped us to get our business going, and I am thankful for all of them. Two businesses in particular that have been absolutely phenomenal to work with are Marvel Custom Signs in Littleton and Succeeding Small digital marketing agency in Colorado Springs. For us, these businesses served as a reminder of what a difference great customer service makes. We hope to emulate both their kindness and efficiency.

Website: GoViroBlast.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goviroblast_colorado/

Facebook: facebook.com/goviroblast