New Year’s resolutions fuel a massive business built on optimism, failure, and predictable human behavior.

Ben and Jon walk through the hidden economy behind fitness apps, diet challenges, planners, habit trackers, and self improvement products that surge every January. They explain how platforms already know exactly when users will fail, why that failure is expected, and how it becomes a feature of the business model. Using real data from apps and search trends, they show how predictable drop off turns into recurring revenue year after year.

This is not a motivation episode. It is a business episode about incentives, psychology, and monetization. Once you see how these models work, you will recognize the same mechanics in subscriptions, ecommerce offers, challenges, and seasonal launches everywhere.

Sponsor:

Sleep like you’re dead (in a good way).

Grab yours at https://SwitchSupplements.com/lowbar

Use code LOWBAR for $10 off Killswitch — the sleep aid for people who can’t stop thinking about business.

Timestamps:

00:00 The economy built on New Year’s optimism

03:50 Why most resolutions fail by day 19

07:35 How apps know exactly when users quit

12:20 Vision boards and packaged motivation

17:10 Shock bracelets and forced habit change

22:40 Dry January and diet challenges explained

28:35 The real business behind self improvement

34:20 How this model applies to ecommerce

Follow us on Social

Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/lowbarpod/

Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/LowBarPod

X — https://x.com/LowBarPodcast

TikTok — https://www.tiktok.com/@lowbarpodcast