Kirsten, a friend of yours, plans to open a fashion boutique that will sell women’s clothing and accessories. She told you that she leafed through several books on how to prepare forecasts and pro forma financial statements but that the books were geared toward existing firms that have several years of historical financial statements on which to base their projections.

If Kirsten asked for your advice about how to prepare forecasts for a completely new women’s fashion boutique, what would you tell her?