Virtual Assistant vs AI: Which One Actually Saves You Time

Hosts: Percy Barr, Wayne Pratt and Bernie Franzgrote

Elizabeth Eiss reveals why 57% of owner time doesn't generate revenue — and how to build a delegation engine using process, AI, and fractional talent.

GROWTH CATEGORY: AI & Automation

Brought to you by Canada Growth Network, Profit10™, and NotionHive.

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You're working 58 hours a week and only 43% of it is making you money. The rest is running the business — and it's costing you more than you think.

Elizabeth Eiss, founder and CEO of Results Resourcing, spent over a decade watching business owners stay stuck in that gap. Her fix isn't "hire more people." It's build the right system first — and then decide what belongs in it.

In this Canada Growth Network session, she walks through her delegation engine framework: a step-by-step approach to deciding what work belongs to you and what gets handed off to process, AI tools, or a fractional talent team.

Watch the full conversation here:

ANSWER CAPSULE

Most small business owners spend 57% of their week on non-revenue work without realizing it. Elizabeth Eiss, founder of Results Resourcing, built a delegation engine framework that helps solopreneurs and SMBs identify what to automate, what to outsource, and what to keep — using a process-first, tools-second, people-third approach that reduces owner dependency and scales revenue.

WHO THIS IS FOR

SMB owners · Solopreneurs · Corporate escapees · Leaders building systems

Key Lessons

1. Your time has a dollar value — and most of it is going to the wrong work.

Elizabeth's ROI time calculator puts a number on it fast. If your time is worth $166 an hour and you work 58 hours a week, your total time value is around $9,600. But if 57% of those hours go to non-revenue work, you're investing only $4,100 and spending $5,500. That gap is the business case for delegation — and most owners have never done this math.

2. The order matters: process, then tools, then people.

Most owners jump straight to hiring. Elizabeth's framework reverses that. Process comes first because repeatability is a business asset — it sets the stage for automation and makes human handoffs cleaner. AI tools come second, handling the repeatable and low-judgment tasks. People come third, stepping in where brand voice, critical thinking, and accountability actually matter.

3. The best virtual assistant is a hybrid — not a choice.

The debate isn't really VA vs AI. It's about where each one belongs. AI digital assistants are taking over the low end of the task spectrum — admin, scheduling, content drafts, data entry. That frees human virtual assistants to do outcomes-oriented work: client communication, nuance, creativity, accountability. The strongest delegation engine runs both.

Practical Steps

Step 1 — Run your time audit this week.
Use Elizabeth's free ROI Time Calculator. It takes three minutes. Put in your hourly rate and weekly hours. The output tells you exactly how much of your week is invested vs spent. That number becomes your starting point.

Step 2 — Map your non-core work.
List everything you did last week that your client doesn't directly pay for. Admin, scheduling, social posting, bookkeeping, follow-up emails. That list is your delegation pipeline. Prioritise by volume and repetition — the most frequent tasks go first.

Step 3 — Build in order.
Pick one repeatable task from your list. Document how you do it — that's your process. Then ask whether a tool or AI can handle it. If not, find a fractional VA to take it on. Don't skip straight to hiring. The process step is what makes the handoff actually work.

About the Guest

Elizabeth Eiss is the founder of Results Resourcing — a fractional talent platform connecting small businesses with vetted US and Canadian-based virtual support teams, no minimums and no long commitments. Connect: LinkedIn · Facebook · YouTube

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Partners on this episode

Canada Growth Network — Business community + a full automation suite for $47 CAD/month. Real tools. Real people. Real connections.

Profit10™ — Take the free Profit Snapshot and find out where your business is leaking time and money.

NotionHive — Websites built to perform, not just look good. If your site isn't generating leads, it's time for a rethink.

FAQ

What is a delegation engine?
A delegation engine is a system for deciding which work belongs to the business owner and which gets handed off — to process, AI tools, or fractional talent. Elizabeth Eiss developed the framework after a decade of helping solopreneurs and SMBs stop doing everything themselves.

What's the difference between a virtual assistant and an AI tool?
AI digital assistants handle repeatable, low-judgment tasks — scheduling, data entry, content drafts, admin. Human virtual assistants handle outcomes-oriented work where brand voice, critical thinking, and accountability matter. The strongest setup uses both together.

How quickly can I get a virtual team up and running?
Results Resourcing gets a team in place within 24 to 48 hours once they understand your needs. There are no minimum hour commitments — you scale up or down based on what the business actually needs week to week.