Donald Deibler, a business owner based in Hegins, Pennsylvania, has formalized a personal policy that goals must be written down to count. The approach, which he has used across two food and beverage operations for years, is now explicit: every January 1, he writes yearly goals; at the start of each month, he adds smaller, specific goals underneath them. Both lists remain visible daily to shape decisions rather than being filed away and forgotten.
The policy matters because Deibler manages All Stars Ice Cream and Cafe Bakery and supports his wife's ownership of Dead Horse Beer and Burritos. Running two operations means two sets of goals running at once, sometimes overlapping, and a written system helps him keep both moving in the same direction without losing sight of either one.
Deibler describes the discipline simply. "I like to set yearly goals every January 1st and monthly goals at the beginning of every month," he said. "I keep these in the back of my mind daily." The monthly goal isn't a smaller copy of the yearly one; it's a specific step toward it. By taking everything one task at a time, he breaks a big yearly target into monthly pieces so it never feels overwhelming.
He measures success in plain terms. "By accomplishing your goals and exceeding past that," Deibler said, adding that continued growth comes "by setting new goals." Nothing about the policy assumes an endpoint. One goal closes and another opens, a rhythm that applies whether the target is a monthly bakery objective or a longer-term plan for the burrito business.
The habit extends beyond the businesses. Deibler has stayed involved with local youth sports donations and volunteer coaching, commitments that also run on a calendar rather than good intentions alone. He credits his family, including his parents and siblings, as his biggest influence. Growing up with five siblings in Donaldson, Pennsylvania, taught him early how to divide attention across multiple priorities without losing track of any.
Deibler is direct about what makes the policy work rather than fail. "Hard work and a positive attitude," he said, are the qualities he considers most important. Neither appears on a to-do list, but both determine whether the list gets finished. He also gauges the whole approach "by my own standards," not an external scorecard.
The written-goal habit is not a marketing device. It is the same operating rhythm Deibler has used across both businesses for years, now made explicit for anyone who asks how he keeps two food and beverage operations moving in the same direction. For other operators, the implication is straightforward: a goal that stays only in your head may not survive the noise of a busy schedule, but one written down and kept in front of you can shape daily decisions and long-term growth.
Deibler graduated from Pine Grove High School in 2011 and from Albright College in 2015 with a degree in Music Business. His policy remains personal, but its logic is portable: write the goal, keep it visible, and let it guide the work one task at a time.
