Some wealthy individuals seem prepared to fund a political party for very large amounts – presumably for personal benefit, whether that’s a peerage or expected tax advantages.

Businesses are not usually so fortunate – cash injections are pure investments for longer term growth. This is certainly how the bank manager sees a loan to a business start up.

So, whether the amount is £500 or £50,000, a plan needs to be drawn up to show how the money is going to be spent, and what return the investment can be expected over the next five years.

For this it is vital to draw up a detailed set of accounts going forward. A spreadsheet is ideal for this as, for example, a page with a row showing each area of cost and income against 12 monthly columns can be replicated over the forthcoming years. Totals in the bottom line will show the profits and cash flow.

With the outline spreadsheet set up, a new business owner can insert his estimated costs and make decisions, such as whether he can afford an office with its attendant costs. Certainly at the beginning it is likely that the considerably lower costs of a virtual office, with a call answering service and postal address, will help the bottom line result.

The manager can use the spreadsheet to monitor the actual figures against those that have been forecast and, in time, can plan for a head office in the provinces and a virtual office in London.

No five million pound windfall perhaps, but considerably less public scrutiny and more professional satisfaction.