When Fowlerville High School student Everet Redman heard about the Early College Program through Cleary University, he thought, “why wouldn’t everyone take advantage of a free education?” One obstacle was grades, he learned, but Redman’s 4.0 GPA secured a spot for him at Cleary.
While taking classes at the university, Redman came across a video on rug making during a random TikTok search. His fascination led him to designing custom-made tuft rugs for his bedroom at home.
When his friends saw his remarkable talents, the word began spreading, and he decided to open his own rug-making business, The Tuft Treasury. It became an almost overnight success locally and within a few months, he was selling custom-designed rugs around the world.
“I did a little advertising through social media, but that was about it,” Redman said. “I would tell customers, ‘just send me a photo of the design you want for your floor rug or wall hanging, and I will make it.’”
Customers unanimously give him five-star reviews for his creations.
Most reviews read like this: “This is the highest quality rug I’ve ever bought! The detail is incredible, and the tufting is amazing. The rug is totally sturdy, the customer service is amazing, and delivery time was fast. Thank you so, so, so much!”
It’s no surprise that at graduation ceremonies last May, Cleary presented the Entrepreneurship Award to the 18-year-old associate’s degree recipient. Redman received this honor for “creating or planning a new product or process or business venture.”
He attributes much of his success to the courses he took at Cleary, which helped him further develop his entrepreneurial skills. “
More high school students should take advantage of the Early College Program through Cleary,” he said. “I got my associate’s degree for free, it was a wonderful experience, I made some new friends, and I met a lot of cool professors. I’m always eager to learn new skills, innovate and create, and Cleary helped deepen my desire to explore new opportunities.”
Click here to see some of Redman’s creations.
