Donald Deibler, a business owner based in Hegins, Pennsylvania, has adopted a personal policy that he says is central to managing two food and beverage operations: no goal counts unless it is written down first. The approach, which he applies to both his role as business manager of All Stars Ice Cream and Cafe Bakery and his support of his wife's ownership of Dead Horse Beer and Burritos, underscores the importance of structured goal-setting in entrepreneurial success. By committing goals to paper, Deibler creates a tangible framework for decision-making that persists even when daily demands threaten to overwhelm.
Every January 1, Deibler sets his yearly goals. At the start of each month, he adds smaller, specific goals that serve as steps toward the annual targets. These lists remain visible to him daily, ensuring they actively shape his choices rather than being forgotten. "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." This practice transforms vague aspirations into concrete objectives that guide his actions across both businesses.
The written-goal policy matters because it directly addresses a common challenge for entrepreneurs: maintaining focus amid constant operational variability. Running a bakery and cafe alongside supporting a second food and beverage business means Deibler's days rarely look the same twice. A written goal provides a stable reference point when schedules get noisy. By breaking a large yearly target into monthly pieces, he avoids feeling overwhelmed by a single massive task. Instead, he takes everything one task at a time, a philosophy he applies to moments of doubt as well as long-term planning.
Deibler measures success in plain, self-defined terms. "By accomplishing your goals and exceeding past that," he said, is his definition of success. There is no external scorecard. He checks his own list against his own results, a practice that reinforces personal accountability. When asked what continued growth looks like, his answer is straightforward: "By setting new goals." Nothing about the policy assumes an endpoint. One goal closes and another opens, creating a cycle of continuous improvement that keeps both businesses moving forward.
The policy extends beyond the businesses into Deibler's community commitments. He has stayed involved with local youth sports donations and volunteer coaching, work that also runs 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. That skill now serves him as he balances the needs of All Stars Ice Cream and Cafe Bakery with those of Dead Horse Beer and Burritos.
Deibler is direct about what makes the policy work. "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 his success "by my own standards," whether evaluating 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 operations moving in the same direction.
For other business owners and professionals, Deibler's example offers a practical takeaway: formalizing goals in writing can turn intentions into action. The discipline lies in the follow-through, but the act of writing creates a record that is hard to ignore. As Deibler's experience shows, a simple rule—goals get written down, or they don't count—can provide the clarity and consistency needed to manage complex responsibilities and achieve sustained success.
