It all started with a bad haircut
Barbify was born out of pure frustration on a rainy Tuesday in Malmö. Erik Lindberg had just moved to a new neighborhood and desperately needed a haircut before an important job interview. After spending nearly an hour calling different barbershops—most of which didn't pick up—he finally got an appointment, only to end up with a rushed cut that left him looking less than professional.
That evening, Erik met his childhood friend Alex Johansson at a local pub to drown his sorrows (and hide his haircut under a beanie). As they compared notes about their barbershop booking nightmares, they realized this was a common pain point that nobody had properly addressed.
"We were sitting there complaining about how archaic the whole process was," recalls Alex. "In an age where you can order anything to your doorstep with a few taps, why were we still playing phone tag with barbers or sending desperate text messages hoping for a reply?"
Erik, who had a background in software development, grabbed a napkin and started sketching out what would eventually become the Barbify app. "The solution seemed so obvious once we started mapping it out. Barbers need a better way to manage their schedules, and customers need a painless way to book appointments."
From concept to reality
With Erik's technical knowhow and Alex's experience in user experience design, they spent weekends and evenings developing a prototype. They went door to door to barbershops across Malmö, talking directly with barbers about their pain points and workflow challenges.
"What surprised us was how enthusiastic barbers were about the idea," says Erik. "Many were drowning in missed calls, double-bookings, and last-minute cancellations. They wanted a solution just as badly as their customers did."
Six months of development, countless coffee-fueled coding sessions, and numerous iterations later, Barbify launched with a dozen partnered barbershops in Malmö. Word spread quickly, and within months, they expanded to Stockholm and Gothenburg.
Our mission today
Today, Barbify connects thousands of customers with skilled barbers across Sweden, and we're just getting started. Our mission remains simple: to make getting a great haircut as easy as a few taps on your phone.
What began as a solution to a personal problem has grown into something that's changing an entire industry. We're proud to be transforming how people book their barbershop appointments, one haircut at a time.
And yes, Erik eventually got a proper haircut.