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As a landscape company we use subs to fill in where we don't have time, primarily on hard scapes. I've been adding more subs to our list trying them out on projects and I keep going back to the same guys. But I'll tell you that subs will bump a lower paying job for the great one they just landed. You come second in their book unless you keep them busy full time or have built a great relationship, generally based on the fact that you keep 'em busy.
It takes time to build a pool of competent subs, and more time in my opinion before I'd trust my reputation solely on the subs ability to complete the project for the customer and for me to collect the check.
I'd start by doing the installs yourself and have a crew of your own that stays with you for a while. Sub out the larger parts of projects where needed and do the smaller detail oriented work to control your quality. Build your portfolio and reputation. As you do more work you'll find other contractors that you can feed more work to and you'll grow into. If the relationship falls through you'll have your crew to step in and keep things moving. You can keep your crew busy doing the annual follow up/maintenance of your previously installed work and doing finish up details of your new projects. You don't have to run more than two or three guys in this capacity - one project at a time. While your crew if finishing one job your subs on are on the next. You'll be bouncing back and forth between the start of one and the finishing of the last - while selling three or four jobs in front of that. You'll keep yourself plenty busy.
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