Technology is changing the way we work faster than ever before.
Every week, there seems to be a new tool promising to automate tasks, improve productivity, and help businesses do more with less. At the same time, many business owners are still relying on virtual assistants and support teams to help them manage the growing demands of running a business.
This raises an important question:
Do you need a Virtual Assistant, or can technology do the job instead?
In a recent episode of Conversations with Zena, My AI Colleague, Joanna Zhang, founder of The Operations Genius and creator of the world’s first Fractional VA Service, joined host David Espindola and AI co-host Zena to explore one of the biggest challenges facing business owners today: understanding what should be delegated to people and what can be supported by technology.
The answer isn’t choosing one over the other.
It’s learning how to use both in the right way.
Why Joanna Created the Fractional VA Service
Before building The Operations Genius, Joanna was a self-employed financial planner trying to manage every aspect of her business herself.
Marketing. Administration. IT. Client work. Operations.
Like many entrepreneurs, she found herself spending valuable time on tasks that drained her energy and pulled her away from the work she truly enjoyed.
She experimented with different Virtual Assistants and support models, but many didn’t fit the reality of a growing business.
Traditional hiring often required business owners to commit to full-time or part-time resources before they were ready. Yet most entrepreneurs didn’t need one person doing everything. They needed access to different skills at different stages of growth.
That challenge inspired Joanna to create a different solution.
The Fractional VA Service model gives businesses access to a flexible team of specialists who can support multiple areas of the business without the overhead and commitment of traditional hiring.
What began as a solution for her own business eventually grew into an award-winning model that was recognised by the 2024 Stevie International Business Awards as the world’s first Fractional VA Service.
What Technology Does Best
During the conversation, Joanna shared how technology has become an important part of modern business operations.
It can process information quickly, analyse data, identify patterns, draft content, automate repetitive tasks, and streamline workflows.
For businesses, these capabilities create enormous opportunities.
Tasks that once took hours can now be completed in minutes.
Research can be gathered instantly.
Standard operating procedures can be followed consistently.
Technology excels when there are clear rules, processes, and repeatable actions.
Used well, it can significantly increase efficiency and free up valuable time.
What Human Support Still Does Better
As powerful as technology has become, there are still areas where human support remains essential.
Leadership.
Judgment.
Creativity.
Emotional intelligence.
Relationship building.
Strategic thinking.
Business owners often discover that while technology can generate options, it cannot fully replace the human ability to understand context, navigate complexity, or make decisions based on experience and intuition.
A great Virtual Assistant brings far more than task completion.
They help create structure, provide accountability, solve problems, communicate with clients, and adapt when circumstances change.
These human qualities become even more valuable as businesses grow.
The Future Isn’t Human or Technology
One of the most valuable insights from the discussion was that businesses do not have to choose between human support and technology.
The most successful businesses are learning how to combine both.
Technology can handle repetitive, time-consuming work.
Human team members can focus on strategy, relationships, innovation, and decision-making.
Together, they create a more sustainable and scalable way of operating.
Joanna believes this blended approach allows business owners to focus on their genius zone while creating stronger systems around them.
Rather than replacing people, technology can help people perform at a higher level.
Why Fractional Thinking Is Growing
The conversation also explored how the workforce itself is changing.
Today, more businesses are turning to fractional support models because flexibility has become essential.
We’re seeing the rise of Fractional CEOs, Fractional COOs, Fractional CMOs, and advisory boards that provide expertise without requiring full-time hires.
The same trend is happening with business support.
A growing company may need operational assistance, marketing support, administration, and strategic guidance, but not necessarily in full-time roles.
The Fractional VA Service model provides access to the right expertise at the right time, allowing businesses to remain agile while managing costs effectively.
As technology continues to evolve, this kind of flexibility becomes even more important.
Scaling Isn’t About Doing More
One of the biggest lessons Joanna shared during the conversation is that growth doesn’t come from adding more tasks to your plate.
It comes from creating the right support structure around you.
Whether that’s leveraging technology, working with a Fractional VA Service, or combining both, the goal is the same: to create space for leaders to focus on the work only they can do.
This philosophy is at the heart of Joanna’s approach to business growth.
If you’re exploring how a Fractional VA Service can help you scale sustainably while staying focused on your zone of genius, this related article dives deeper into the model and why it’s helping businesses grow without burning out:
Related Reading: Scaling Without Burnout Through the Fractional VA Model
Final Thoughts
The future of business is not about choosing between human support and technology.
It is about understanding where each creates the most value.
Technology can help us work faster.
People help us work smarter.
Businesses that learn how to combine both will be better positioned to grow, adapt, and thrive in a rapidly changing world.
The question is no longer whether you should use technology or hire support.
The real question is how to create a partnership between the two that helps your business reach its full potential.�� Listen to the full podcast episode here.