My own experience varies widely, and it depends on what you're buying.

I get my cars serviced at two small rickety garages run by guys who KNOW how a car works. Only reason I use two is that they each work on different things and on different types of cars.

I spent months and many hundreds of dollars at the VW dealership trying to track an electrical problem in my Eurovan. My original mechanic didn't do German cars back then, so he recommened a new guy near the railroad tracks. He tracked the problem to a bad ground to the frame, and fixed it with an eight-inch piece of wire and a connector. That was all I needed to know.

On the other hand, I had my roof done by a professional outfit through Home Depot. Same with my central air. There are "handymen" who do this kind of work, but with major structural stuff, I want a LOT of liability backing. However, I did get my wife's bathroom refitted by a handyman, and he did a superb job.

You go on a case-by-case basis. There are great small businesses and crappy ones, same as there are for multi-national corporations. In time, you build up a list of the good ones.

I don't know exactly what kind of services you're looking for, but when I was looking for handymen and small contractors, I went to the local hardware store (also a small business owned by an old guy who KNOWS hardware) and asked him for recommendations. He actually had a list printed up.