Gunnedah Shire Council has opened nominations for the program, which has given more than $200,000 in funding to more than 60 local businesses over the years.

"This is a great chance for Gunnedah Shire businesses to get a helping hand for business expansion or new initiatives during this difficult time," council's economic development officer Emily Wilson said.

"All sorts of small business projects, such as website upgrades, business planning and new directions for established businesses have benefited from the Business Partner Program."

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Jodi and Stuart Dolbel are among the local business owners who have benefited from multiple rounds of the program.

In 2011, funding from the program helped her to open an event styling store on Chandos Street. The success of this business then an expansion when the Dolbels bought Riley's Furniture and Carpets in 2016 and renamed it Enchanted on Conadilly this year.

"I couldn't have opened without that help," Mrs Dolbel said.

"Council took a risk with me. The shop was just a cement floor and the grant helped pay for outfitting the shop."

In 2018-2017, another round aided the Dolbels to build a website, and this year, they were successful with funding to refurbish and restructure.

"It was a huge step forward to have a full e-commerce website," Jodi says.

"We do a lot of business over the website now. People do a lot of shopping on their keyboards at night-time. They can compare us with other businesses."

The business now has eight staff and Mrs Dolbel said they were "lucky to have a council that supports business - both big companies and small business".