How giving away over $8,000 in free samples on Reddit saved this woman's startup

Reddit is notorious for its ability to rally together enormous groups of people on the internet, uniting them around a common cause.

In the case of entrepreneur Sue Sullivan, it ended up saving her business.

Sullivan had started a chipotle sauce company called "Hot Squeeze" back in 2007, but in the years that followed she realized that it wasn't going to survive if she kept working with middle-men distributors, who quickly scooped up the lion's share of her profits.

But after a friend told her about Reddit, Sullivan decided to host a giveaway on the website. After giving away $8,000 in free samples, she soon found that it was a hit with Redditors, many of whom ended up calling up their local stores to request her hot sauce.

Months later, Sullivan shared a follow-up post with Reddit and Business Insider, detailing in her own words what her journey was like, and it's a powerful reminder of what can happen when those on the internet come together.

Note: All photos and text used with permission.