With spring just around the corner, it's never too early to get into a "spring cleaning" mindset, decluttering your business as you look to a new season and set new goals. One of which is most likely creating smarter, more targeted marketing campaigns. When was the last time you honestly took stock of your marketing elements? Our inventory checklist offers a few ideas to either create or update your marketing plan.

For your customers who refrain from eating meat during Lent, the 40-day period from Ash Wednesday to Easter, as a symbol of faith, there's no better time to create a new appreciation for fish. With Lent beginning this year on February 22, why not promote one of your fish, shrimp or vegetarian menu items? If your menu is fish free, now's the time to introduce at least one such item – even for a limited time.

In the full-service, off-premise catering world, the relationship between a caterer and its rental company is often the most crucial vendor connection. Without a credible and competent equipment rental provider, an event can be put at risk, often damaging the reputation of the caterer. Event attendees usually do not know who the rental provider is, so if problems arise such as chipped plates, lipstick-stained glassware or wobbly chairs, the caterer is likely to take the blame.

Ashley Lyerly knows gluten-free. When her son was diagnosed in 2007 with autism, studies were showing that behavioral outbursts and other discomforts among autistic children could be reduced by cutting out gluten, dairy and casein, a protein found in dairy that's often used as a binding agent in other foods. She gave it a try, both for herself and her son, and it worked.