These days, if you look at economic data, the atmosphere is honestly completely different from ten years ago.

Whether in the U.S. or Korea, the products that won't sell in the future, the declining industries, are already taking shape.

There are still many people holding on, thinking, "If the economy just turns around a bit, it will be fine," but in my view, that stage has already passed.

This is not just a simple economic cycle; it's a shift in the very way people live. Once the direction is set, it's not easy to turn back.

Once you reach your 60s, the obesity rate drops significantly.

When you first hear this, you might think, "People lose weight as they age or they managed it well?"

But the reality is that many obese individuals have already died before that. Heart issues, diabetes complications, and such are results that occur before the late 50s.

The numbers may look neat, but the stories behind them are quite heavy.

The U.S. market we live in is similar. On the surface, it seems to be still running, but inside, industries that have already lost their strength are being sorted out one by one.

These days, when I meet business owners, the atmosphere is different from before.

In the past, saying, "Just a little more and it will be okay" felt hopeful, but nowadays, it just comes out as a habit.

Card sales remain the same, but ingredient costs keep rising, labor costs are increasing, and rent isn't budging at all.

It's no longer a structure where you make money by doing well; it has become a game of just holding on and reducing the outflow of money.

Watching the bank balance slowly decrease, people think, "Just until this month..." and then suddenly cut off.

There is a high possibility that such cases will increase in the future. Both in the U.S. and Korea, the trend of business closures is similar.

Laundromats are a representative example of the declining businesses these days. In the past, having your shirts ironed was a basic expectation for office workers.

Offices were filled with people in suits. But now, the atmosphere has completely changed.

With remote work becoming established, the clothing itself has changed. It's now natural to wear knits or hoodies to the office.

Big events have decreased, and the occasions to wear suits have significantly reduced. So, it's only natural that laundromats are losing their strength.

When you hear from those who have been in the Korean community for a long time, they say their sales are just a little over half of what they were before the pandemic.

This is not just a casual remark about passing it on to their children.

And when it comes to bars or tobacco shops, looking at today's 20-somethings gives you a clear sense of the change.

The atmosphere is completely different from before. There are quite a few friends who don't drink at all, and it's common for people to not even start smoking.

In the past, it was something everyone tried at least once, but now the reaction is more like, "Why bother?"

Instead, what are they doing? They are exercising. They go to the gym, run, and watch their diet.

When they meet, it's not at a bar but at a café, and the culture of forcing gatherings for company dinners is almost nonexistent.

This isn't just a passing trend; it's a fundamental change in thinking.

The standards for health have changed, the way money is spent has changed, and the way people meet has changed.

When these friends reach their 30s and 40s, the market will change accordingly. It's not that bar customers are decreasing; they have simply moved to different places.

It's not that previous customers are disappearing; they have completely transitioned to a different lifestyle.

So what should we do? There's no need to overthink it.

Rather than holding on to a flow that doesn't fit, it's much better to read the direction and switch gears.

In reality, the answers are already out there. Cafés are coming into the spaces left by laundromats, and gyms or health drink shops are moving into the alleys where bars used to be.

Ultimately, those who move based on data get hurt less.

Thinking, "Let's just hold on a little longer" can end up costing more than you think.

Whether you like it or not, things that don't work will continue to go in that direction. But there are definitely things that do work. I believe that those who quickly notice that will move on to the next stage.