For men struggling to make it to the barber for their routine haircut, or who are traveling and need that last-minute touch-up, a New York-based startup that launched in Chicago this week wants to help by bringing barbers to your home, office or hotel room.
Shortcut, which operates on a mobile app, is an on-demand service for haircuts. Cosmetologists and barbers work for Shortcut, much like drivers work for Uber—they choose their own hours and provide services when called upon by consumers. Besides New York and Chicago, the service operates in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Miami.
The startup was founded in 2016 by Irv Slobodskaya, CEO, and Will Newton, COO.
Before launching Shortcut, Slobodskaya worked long days in advertising and found himself having a hard time getting to barber appointments.
“The idea for it really came out of personal necessity,” Slobodskaya said. “I constantly found myself in these situations where I would try to go to the barber shop and there would be an excruciatingly painful line because I was going at the most coveted time of the day.”
Shortcut works with about 100 barbers and cosmetologists across all markets to set a fair price for their services based on experience and clientele. Shortcut workers also keep 90 percent of the commission on services, which tends to be more than if they were working at a shop, Slobodskaya said. Additionally, the business model is attractive to barbers since many already work as freelancers in some capacity. In Chicago, there’s currently about six barbers on the platform, but Shortcut expects that number to grow quickly.
“We’re empowering them as entrepreneurs within this platform,” Slobodskaya said. “For us, that’s really where the mission of the company is.”
Haircut rates range from $50 to $125. There’s a slight upcharge for travel time, Slobodskaya said, but that increase could turn off customers who are accustomed to their $25 haircut, even if it means means standing in line or opting for a weekend appointment as opposed to a weeknight one.
At a Floyd’s Barbershop in Chicago, someone with hair falling at or below the earlobe could get it cut for less than $30, and there’s cheaper places than that. But even considering those figures, Shortcut thinks there’s a market for their concept.
“I definitely think there’s a lot of guys who feel the way we do,” Slobodskaya said.
Though Shortcut advertises itself as a barber service, the app isn’t only for men, Slobodskaya said. It also provides stylist cuts for those with hair past their shoulders. So, in theory, anyone with short or long hair could get a haircut, though the service tends to cater to men’s hair needs more.
Other on-demand hair styling services are out there, though. One in Chicago, Stylisted, operates similarly to Shorcut, but caters more to women with hair styling and makeup application. And Whittl, a Chicago startup that operated in a similar space by letting users book haircuts and other services online, shut down last year after raising $4.6 million.
Shortcut, which only has three full-time employees, declined to share revenue figures, but said 20,000 people have signed up for the app since it launched. Looking ahead, the founders want to expand the service to Las Vegas, Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia.
