As 2018 has come to a close, we’ve done a ton to make the new year transition as smooth as possible. We’ve wrapped up 2018 and we’re ready to welcome 2019.

But as the end of the year can be a crazy time for business owners, so too is the beginning of one. You’ve got new goals to lay out, tax forms to file and a team of employees to help get over the end-of-the-holidays slump.

One of the most overwhelming things on your to-do list at the beginning of the new year can be to create a business plan for the year. Where does one even begin? What should you include, what should you drop, what’s reasonable and what’s a stretch?

SBA.gov recommends you include the following in your business plan:

• Executive summary – a snapshot of your business.
• Company description – describes what you do.
• Market analysis – research on your industry, market, and competitors.
• Organization and management – your business and management structure.
• Service or product – the products or services you’re offering.
• Marketing and sales – how you’ll market your business and your sales strategy.
• Funding request – how much money you’ll need for next 3 to 5 years.
• Financial projections – supply information like balance sheets.
• Appendix – an optional section that includes résumés and permits.

All that being said, it can still be tricky organizing everything in the best way for you, your employees and perhaps most importantly, investors. Here are four tips to creating the best business plan for 2019:

1. Ask yourself what the purpose of your plan is

Entrepreneur said business plans can be a “road map that provides direction so a business can plan its future and helps it avoid bumps in the road.” But business plans can also help clients and customers know what they’re getting into when they invest in your company. Be sure to have a clear and concise goal that everyone – not just people with your same mindset.

2. Document everything

Seriously, everything. Be meticulously organized and immaculate in your file-keeping. Even minor details – like location strategy and licensing agreements – can be important to some investors. They want to see how serious you are about your business and where the cash flow goes. By keeping everything organized, you’re letting them know that you’re honest and don’t have any secrets to keep.

3. Do your research

Think of the process of writing a business plan like a clock: the first 45 minutes on the clock should be filled with research, and the last 15 should be actually writing your plan. Far too many people fill up that time the other way around – they spend way too much time writing their plan without doing nearly enough research.

When they do this, what ends up happening is a fluffy business plan with too many words and incoherent thoughts and not enough tight information. Lay out your product, the market, the competition and your expertise without the fluff. People can tell when you have or haven’t done your research.

4. Let them know you care

Ultimately, people want to see why this business matters so much to you. No matter how much competition there might be out there, no one has a monopoly on passion – so sell others on that! Show them why you care and that will get them on board.

With that emotional connection you develop, you’ll be able to count on those investors staying with you in the long run.