CHAMPION racing driver and founder of Adams Creative, Mike Adams, has spent £250,000 buying and decking out a new headquarters in Albion Place, Maidstone, in a distinctive livery of bold colours.

The growing firm he started 18 years ago previously shared offices in Terrace Road. He says the move - the new premises also have modern office furniture - has improved the way the firm operates. "I'm very glad we did it," he said.

The move was designed to underline the firm's "one-stop shop" service for clients wanting a co-ordinated approach to marketing, website design and publicity. Good web design can make a small company look big, says Mr Adams. The look of a website is now crucial to a firm's image and bottom line performance.

"What we are doing is making a small firm look like a larger company," he said. "I can make a very small one-man band look like a multi-national. Web design used to be a me-too thing, now it is a very important part of what they do and they expect it to work."

Mr Adams, regularly behind the wheel of an Aston Martin or Jaguar E-Type at Brands Hatch and other circuits, believes good marketing helps growing firms move up to the next phase of development.

"They get to a point where they are turning over two or three million pounds, seem to hit a wall and don't understand why they can't make the business grow any more. That's where they have to start being a bit more professional about how they market themselves."

He admitted it took time to measure effectiveness but there was no doubt that better marketing made a difference. Adams Creative recently heeded its own advice by adopting a new corporate identity and company logo.

Adams Creative now employs 12 people. The company worked on the promotion and design of Kent County Council's structure plan, and has also advised Locate in Kent, the inward investment agency. Its client list includes the British Racing and Sports Car Club, Kings Hill, West Maling, and the Lighthouse Group, a Sevenoaks-based Aim-listed company that provides support services to independent financial advisers across the UK.