“Dream Big, Start Small” is the slogan used by the Small Business Administration during its yearly National Small Business Week, this year celebrated May 1-7. Every year since 1963, this week has been a time to recognize the contributions made by American small-business owners and entrepreneurs.

That same slogan could probably have been your motto when you started your own business. It takes a dream, some risk and a lot of hard work to create and grow a company.

You probably did start small and have been working on growing ever since. So in honor of National Small Business Week — and keeping “dream big” in mind — here are some tips on growing and promoting your business.

Improve your selling strategy. You may be a pumper, but just like anyone selling a service, you are first and foremost a salesperson. If you don’t feel comfortable with that, the good news is that the cold call is becoming a thing of the past. You can use social networking and social media more than ever to grow your connections and grow your sales. Check out these five tips to make your social selling take off.

Use community involvement to get your name in front of potential customers. Traditional advertising is getting more expensive and often less effective. Community relations management is just a different way of getting the same attention. Brand recognition brings real benefits. Reach your audience by sponsoring a local youth sports team, volunteering, joining chamber of commerce events; anything that makes you visible in the community. Here are some tips on becoming a community partner — and earning loyal customers.

Collect testimonials to use as promotional materials. What better way to promote your business than with the words of a satisfied customer? You should be working testimonials into that social selling strategy you just read about. If you’re not sure where to start, read these eight tips for creating trustworthy testimonials.

Read about how other pumpers have worked to grow their business and get inspired by their stories:

The Key to Building Revenue: Diversify Your Wastewater Services
A son turned his father’s side business into a septic and pumping company, weathering economic storms along the way.

Top Tips to Rev Up the Efficiency of Your Pumping Business
An extreme makeover has resulted in dramatically streamlined operations and increased growth for this family business.

Survival Tips: Navigating Small-Business Ups And Downs
Diversifying into related construction services and the transportation and disposal of municipal sludge, and exploring new avenues for advertising has seen this business owner through tough times.

For more on National Small Business Week, including nationwide events, webinars and more, visit www.sba.gov/nsbw.