We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jesika Douglas a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jesika, thanks for joining us today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

The first month was about testing. Practiced board styling repeatedly
Tested portion sizes
Calculated food cost per board
Priced everything to make sure I wasn’t undercharging
Experimented with different cheeses and pairings
I also had to think like a business owner:
What would my brand feel like?
Who is my ideal client?
Am I targeting corporate events, weddings, birthdays, or small gatherings?
I created a name. Then a logo. Then an Instagram page.
That Instagram page felt terrifying to launch. It made everything real.

Three things really pushed me from idea to execution:
Exposure Growing up around catering made the unknown feel less scary.
Action Before Confidence I started before I felt “ready.”
Systems Treating it like a business from day one, not a hobby.
Looking back, the launch wasn’t one big leap. It was a series of small, intentional steps: research, testing, posting, selling, refining.
Charcuterie became my lane but the foundation was built in my childhood kitchen, watching my mom turn food into experiences.

Jesika, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Charcuterie became my lane because I’ve always been drawn to the visual and creative side of food. I loved styling appetizer tables and arranging cheeses, fruits, and cured meats in a way that felt abundant and elevated. What began as helping at events slowly turned into experimenting with my own boards for family and friends.
When people began encouraging me to sell them, I realized there was space to create something focused specifically on luxury charcuterie experiences not full-scale catering, but curated boards and grazing tables that make a statement.
That’s how Build My Board was born.
Build My Board is a luxury charcuterie company that provides elevated, artfully styled food displays for:
Weddings
Corporate events
Birthday celebrations
Bridal and baby showers
Private gatherings
Brand launches
Special occasions of all kinds
We specialize in:
Custom charcuterie boards
Grazing tables
Individual charcuterie cups/boxes
Luxury event spreads
Every board is carefully curated with premium cheeses, high-quality cured meats, fresh seasonal fruits, artisan crackers, nuts, spreads, and decorative touches that create a visually stunning presentation.
Build My Board provides a visually impactful, ready to enjoy experience that eliminates the stress of preparation and presentation. Clients don’t have to worry about styling, portioning, sourcing, or setup. We handle the details so they can focus on enjoying their event.
We also solve the “wow factor” problem. A beautifully styled charcuterie display immediately elevates any gathering. It becomes both the centerpiece and a conversation starter.
What sets Build My Board apart is intention.
Every board is thoughtfully designed not just assembled. I pay attention to color balance, texture contrast, flow, and symmetry. Each display is built to feel luxurious, abundant, and cohesive.
Customer satisfaction is at the core of everything I do. I take pride in:
Clear communication
Professionalism
On-time delivery and setup
Customization based on client preferences
High-quality ingredients
Attention to detail
Because I grew up watching a catering business operate, I understand the importance of reliability and consistency. Clients trust us with their most important moments, and I never take that lightly. I’m most proud of building something that feels authentic to who I am. Build My Board reflects my creativity, my upbringing, and my passion for hospitality.
I’m also proud of the relationships we’ve built with clients. Many return for multiple events or refer us to friends and family. That trust means everything to me.
When you book with Build My Board, you’re not just ordering food you’re investing in an experience.
You can expect:
Professionalism from inquiry to execution
Luxury presentation
Fresh, premium ingredients
Custom designs tailored to your event
A brand that genuinely cares
Build My Board is built on creativity, consistency, and care. Whether it’s an intimate gathering or a large-scale event, our goal is always the same: to elevate your moment and leave a lasting impression.
At the end of the day, we don’t just build boards we build experiences worth remembering.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Building my audience on social media for my charcuterie business didn’t happen overnight. It was intentional, consistent, and honestly a little uncomfortable at first. Charcuterie is highly visual. I realized quickly that presentation on social media mattered just as much as presentation at an event.
I invested time in:
Natural lighting
Clean backgrounds
Close-up detail shots
Before-and-after setup videos
Reels showing the board-building process
People love seeing the transformation. Watching a grazing table come together is satisfying and engaging. That behind-the-scenes content helped build trust because followers could see the care and craftsmanship.

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

Build My Board didn’t start as a grand, fully mapped out business plan. It started as something I did on the side while balancing other responsibilities. I was creating boards for small gatherings, family events, and friends who needed something beautiful and convenient.
At the time, it was extra income but it was also creative freedom.
Because I grew up watching my mother run her catering company, entrepreneurship didn’t feel foreign to me. But doing it myself was different. I had to figure out pricing, branding, food sourcing, packaging, licensing, and marketing on my own.
I treated it seriously from day one, even though it was technically a side hustle. I reinvested my profits into:
Better serving boards
Higher quality ingredients
Branded packaging
Marketing materials
Professional photos
That early decision to reinvest instead of just “making extra money” made a huge difference later.
Today, Build My Board is more than a side hustle it’s a luxury brand built on presentation, professionalism, and customer satisfaction. I take pride in delivering not just food, but an experience.
The biggest difference between then and now isn’t just revenue it’s confidence. I now operate with clarity, structure, and long-term vision.

Start before you feel ready.
Reinvest early.
Treat your side hustle like a real business.
Build systems before you desperately need them.
Don’t scale chaos scale structure.
Protect your brand reputation at all costs.
What began as “extra income” turned into ownership, impact, and legacy. And the most rewarding part? I built it intentionally one board, one client, one event at a time.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Buildmboard.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildmyboard_?igsh=MXN3Nnk4MWltcHF1OQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: Buildmyboard