Working with subs without losing control of the job
A bad sub puts your name on bad work. Treat sub selection like a hire.
Verify insurance and licensing every year
Annual recheck, no exceptions. The day a sub damages a customer's property is the wrong day to discover their coverage lapsed.
Pay on terms that protect both sides
Net 30 with progress payments for big jobs, paid promptly. Subs work harder and faster for shops that pay on time. Slow-paying GCs get the leftover crew.
Manage the schedule, not just the scope
The sub's deadline is your deadline. Confirm the day before, on-site if needed. Treating sub schedules as 'their problem' is how customer jobs slip.
Take your version of this question further
This is one operator-tested angle on the question. Your shop, your size, your trade, and your team change the answer. Ask your specific version inside Ask a Shop Owner to get a response grounded in how owners like you actually handled it.