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.
“I was the only one from my school to attend Cleary,” but it didn’t take Redman long before he made friends and got comfortable in the college environment. While taking classes at Cleary, Redman had some free time, and during a random TikTok search, he came across a video on rug making. 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 his business became almost an overnight success locally. He started TheTuftTreasury, 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 reports. “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,’” he says with modesty.
Customers unanimously are giving 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.”
While he continues to build his custom-made rug business, Redman plans to work as a financial advisor. “I need to get some good cash flow going, and I am fascinated with the stock market, so I will do both for a while,” he says.
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 points out. “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. The school is a very tight knit, friendly place. I’m always eager to learn new skills, innovate and create, and Cleary helped deepen my desire to explore new opportunities.”
To learn more about Cleary’s Early College Program, email admissions@cleary.edu or call 800-686-1883.
