Where leads actually come from for small shops
Most owners over-invest in the channels that look impressive and under-invest in the ones that work.
Referrals and repeats first
For most owner-operated shops, 50-70% of healthy revenue should come from referrals and repeat customers. If yours doesn't, fix retention before spending another dollar on ads.
Google is the search bar people actually use
For local services, a Google Business Profile that's complete, has 50+ honest reviews, and replies to messages within an hour outperforms most paid campaigns.
The channels that mostly don't work for shops your size
Cold direct mail at low volumes. Untargeted social ads. Trade-show booths without a defined follow-up plan. Yard signs in markets that already know you.
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.