Donald Deibler, business manager of All Stars Ice Cream and Cafe Bakery in Hegins, Pennsylvania, has formalized a personal policy that could offer a simple but powerful lesson for entrepreneurs juggling multiple ventures: no goal counts unless it is written down first. Deibler sets yearly goals every January 1 and monthly goals at the start of each month, keeping both lists visible and top-of-mind daily. "I like to set yearly goals every January 1st and monthly goals at the beginning of every month," Deibler said. "I keep these in the back of my mind daily." The policy is straightforward, but its discipline lies in the follow-through.
Deibler's approach is not limited to one business. He manages All Stars Ice Cream and Cafe Bakery and supports his wife's ownership of Dead Horse Beer and Burritos. Two operations mean two sets of goals running at once, often overlapping. The written-goal habit, which he has used for years, helps him keep both moving in the same direction without losing sight of either. "By taking everything one task at a time," Deibler said, describing how he handles moments of doubt. A big yearly target is broken into smaller monthly pieces, so it never feels overwhelming. He measures success in plain terms: "By accomplishing your goals and exceeding past that." There is no external scorecard; he checks his own list against his own results.
The policy works on a clear rhythm. On January 1, the year's goal is written down in full. On the first of each month, a smaller, specific goal is added underneath it. Daily, both stay visible enough to shape decisions, not just sit on a page. Deibler says the habit of setting new goals is also how he keeps growing once an old goal is met. "By setting new goals," he said, is what continued growth looks like. Nothing about the policy assumes an endpoint; one goal closes and another opens.
Deibler credits his family for shaping his structured approach. "My family, including my parents and siblings," he said, naming them as his biggest influence. Growing up with five siblings in Donaldson, Pennsylvania, taught him early how to divide attention across multiple priorities. Outside his businesses, the same habit shows up in community commitments. Deibler has stayed involved with local youth sports donations and volunteer coaching, work that also runs on a calendar rather than good intentions alone.
He is direct about what makes the policy succeed. "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 success by a standard that is not borrowed from anyone else: "By my own standards," whether for a monthly bakery goal or a longer-term plan for the burrito business.
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 entrepreneurs and small business owners, the implication is clear: a simple, written goal-setting practice can provide the structure needed to manage multiple ventures and community commitments without losing focus. Deibler graduated from Pine Grove High School in 2011 and from Albright College in 2015 with a degree in Music Business.
