THE thriving small to medium enterprise (SME) market is benefiting from a free Australian Government initiative delivered under AusIndustry's Building Entrepreneurship in Small Business program, in partnership with the Gold Coast City Council.

The Gold Coast Region Area Consultative Committee (GCRACC) fosters links between government, business and the community. Although it's in its infancy, the project has already helped several small businesses.

Field officer Suzette Sutton is building working relationships with small, micro and home-based businesses - from Pimpama to Coolangatta and west to Beaudesert.

"I work as a conduit between small business and government and the myriad of services, funding and assistance on offer to foster business growth," she says.

"I'm working with a clean slate and am overwhelmed by the response from a gamut of small businesses, from start-up companies to long-standing businesses looking to take the next step."

Ms Sutton has a strong background in small business. She owned and operated a successful vegetable production business in the Lockyer Valley and established a gourmet food manufacturing business. She also chaired a government-funded national training program for rural workers.

"Starting or operating a small business can be tough. People don't have a lot of time to spend working on their business, because they are too busy working in it.

"I spend many hours on the road, going to individual businesses, offering on-the-ground assistance. This helps to cut down the red tape to get things moving quicker."

Ms Sutton says local small business Inner Bath is using the program's services to great success. The Labrador company inserts new bath and shower linings instead of replacing existing ones.

"Like many micro operators, the company requires some expert advice on where and how to access the government assistance available to take them to the next level," says Ms Sutton.

Since the national Field Officers program began in 2003 (as Small Business Answers), more than two million contacts with small businesses have been reported.