Hey Webdev,
DMOZ is so iffy these days. Sometimes they list you, sometimes they don't. I still don't have my SBI site listed there after nearly 2 years, but the good news is it still gets a lot of traffic. So it's proof it's not an absolute necessity anymore.
One way I think my SBI! site got so much traffic was through submitting articles to
http://www.strongestlinks.com/directories.php. That's a good way to start getting your link out there because you can put it into your sig file of every article.
I don't think there's one set path you have to take... just try a combination of everything. Submit articles to ezinearticles.com, look for related sites and ask for an exchange. Submit to the directories here
http://www.strongestlinks.com/directories.php (I have to admit I did pay for a few listings. Gimpsy was one. I can't remember the others I paid for.) Just go down the list and start with as many free ones as you can find to submit to.