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Most modern couples live together prior to their wedding and as such, they don’t need another toaster. What they do need? Money. For many cultures, this is a standard wedding gift and in more recent years it’s become the gift-of-choice for Western weddings too. The catch here is that asking for money can feel awkward or impersonal, which is why we’re tipping digital registries that allow couples to communicate what they’ll be using that cash for will become even more mainstream.

As we go through the startup process a second time with our digital gifting company Gravy, we started to wonder: if parenthood and running a small business have so many commonalities, why do we celebrate one and not the other?

Why on earth aren’t business showers a thing yet?

In recent years, a cohort of forward-thinking couples have opted to take their wedding gifting online. Whether it’s asking for contributions towards a honeymoon, a first-home deposit or a petrol kitty for a road trip, the beauty of using an online gift registry is that you can communicate what you plan to use those funds for.

And it’s not just cash that couples are asking for.

Last year, Wedshed launched a gifting platform called Gravy that allows people to give and receive *literally* anything - including gifts of human time and good deeds (think: help paint the house or plant a garden.)

We surveyed more than 500 people via Gravy and found 71% of people would happily receive a gift of human time and effort. The great thing? Gifts of human time are often disproportionately valuable in comparison to traditional gifts.

For example, you might give a close founder in your network a gift voucher or a bottle of something to crack over the break (or perhaps, nothing at all — and there’s no shame in this). But what’s the value of a few hours of your professional time and expertise? We’d go out on a limb to say considerably more.

An online registry that allows your guests to gift you good deeds like a homecooked meal, help moving house, the promise of a blood donation, a night away or a donation to your fave charity? Nope, this isn't a far-off dream - the legends over at Gravy have gone and done it! Learn more at gravyregistry.com.