I held off on hiring subs for a long time. I would either do what I can myself or help the client find someone they trusted to do the work needed. I finally found a great GC that I can trust and who does good work. We are both small business owners and are the same wavelength, with similar goals. I found him through a friend who he went to high school with.
Ask your circle if they know anyone who has done good work for them. Someone who was trustworthy, clean, punctual, professional.
Sometimes you are at a clients house and see they had work done, when you look at it you realize it is quality work, no shortcuts and the client was happy with them. So you can ask for their contact and see if you can build a relationship that way too.
I am sure this is harder to do when your looking for a specialist rather than a generalist, but I think the same approach could apply.
