Steph Ward, founder of Forward Business Solutions and The Evergreen Academy, has won the Diamond Distinction Award for Innovators in Entrepreneur Empowerment and Digital Learning 2026, a recognition that puts her firmly on the map as one of the UK’s most exciting new voices in digital business.
The award, which celebrates leaders who are genuinely changing how people learn and grow their businesses online, couldn’t be more fitting. Because that’s precisely what Steph has set out to do and in just her first year of trading, she’s already making waves.
A Different Way of Doing Business
Through The Evergreen Academy, Steph is helping entrepreneurs across the UK break free from the exhausting “always-on” model that burns so many small business owners out. The premise is refreshingly straightforward: stop selling your time by the hour, build something once, and create an income that keeps working even when you’re not.
It’s an approach that’s clearly striking a chord. The Evergreen Academy brings together digital programmes, practical tools and a genuine community of like-minded business owners, all geared towards helping people build flexible, scalable income streams that don’t require them to be glued to their laptops around the clock.
From Experience to Empowerment
Steph launched both Forward Business Solutions and The Evergreen Academy last year, drawing on years of real-world business experience to help a new generation of entrepreneurs do things differently. Her mission from day one has been to make sustainable business growth more accessible, not just for those with big budgets or established networks, but for anyone with a good idea and the drive to see it through.
It’s an inclusive, no-nonsense approach to business education that feels a long way from the polished but impractical advice that floods so much of the online space.
What the Judges Said
The Diamond Distinction Award judges were quick to highlight The Evergreen Academy’s innovation, inclusivity and real-world impact, praising Steph for raising the bar in online learning and entrepreneur development. In a crowded market, they noted, The Evergreen Academy stands out for actually delivering results.
Ward said: “Receiving the Diamond Distinction Award is a genuine honour, but I want to be clear; this isn’t just my achievement. It belongs to every single Evergreen Academy member who had the courage to think differently, step back from trading time for money, and commit to building something bigger. They’re the proof that this works. It shows what becomes possible when people are given the right support and tools, and that’s what drives everything we do.”
What’s Next
With this latest award win behind her, Steph shows no signs of slowing down. She’s focused on growing The Evergreen Academy’s reach and supporting even more entrepreneurs in building businesses that work for their lives, not the other way around.
For a growing number of UK business owners, that message is landing at exactly the right time.
