Another way into real estate services
Most people don’t plan to build a career around estate and estate administration. For Jacob Schmalzle, the work began with a simple church service.
Today he is the founder of Spirit of Service (SOS), a company that performs estate administration and trustee duties. But the idea didn’t start as a business plan.
It started with a neighbor who needed help.
“I play guitar in church and regularly do volunteer work,” says Schmalzle. “Someone in our church retirement community needed help planning the probate process. I agreed to help before I even knew it was a paid position.”
This moment triggered a chain reaction. This experience exposed him to the complicated world of estate planning and administration. It also showed him how confusing the process can be for families already struggling with grief.
The news spread quickly within the church community. Soon more people were asking for help.
What started as a favor slowly turned into something bigger.
The personal loss that shaped his career
Schmalzle’s connection to estate work deepened after a difficult period in his personal life.
Within a few months he lost both his father and his grandmother. His father, Pastor Bob, had a great influence on his life and values.
The loss forced Schmalzle to manage the probate process himself.
“After losing my father and grandmother within a few months of each other, I was forced to learn the entire estate planning, probate and trust process,” he says. “It was difficult to cope without help, especially during grief.”
This experience changed his perspective on the industry.
Many families faced the same situation. They had to deal with paperwork, legal action and financial decisions while dealing with the loss.
Schmalzle began to view estate administration not just as paperwork, but as a service that required empathy.
“I have real personal compassion for my customers,” he says. “No one should have to endure the stress of probate alone during an already difficult time.”
Why probate proceedings often become expensive
The probate process is often carried out by lawyers, banks or family members. In many cases, the person named executor in a will does not have the time or experience to manage the process.
When this happens, they often outsource the work.
Jacob Schmalzle noticed a pattern.
Probate proceedings can take long periods of time. As the process slows down, fees often increase.
“The role of executor is usually left to lawyers or banks,” he says. “Even if a child is appointed executor, they often lack the necessary skills and the work ends up being outsourced.”
This observation shaped the structure of his company.
The emergence of the spirit of service
In 2025, Schmalzle officially launched Spirit of Service.
The company provides estate administration and trustee services, assisting families in managing estates and trust distributions. The company’s focus is on efficiency and clear administration.
Schmalzle says the goal is simple: reduce unnecessary delays and retain more value in the property.
“Probate proceedings can take a long time,” he says. “This often leads to unnecessary hourly billing in addition to the tariffs.”
Spirit of Service operates differently than many traditional companies.
The company charges no more than the state’s minimum enforcement fee of three percent. It is also based on a model designed to move cases forward quickly.
But the structure also contains something unusual in the real estate services industry.
Combining legacy work with charitable donations
From the beginning, Schmalzle wanted the company to reflect the values he grew up with.
His father’s work as a pastor shaped his attitude toward responsibility and service.
“My father taught me to see Christ in others and to serve when we are called,” Schmalzle said.
This mindset influenced the way Spirit of Service operates.
The company donates 10 percent of fees collected to the customer’s church or a selected charity.
The idea is to integrate charitable giving into the legacy process itself.
“Many churches have estate planning programs,” Schmalzle says. “But when members require an external executor as part of the probate process, there is not always a service that reflects these values.”
The company says it donates more than $2 million to charities through the estates it manages.
For Schmalzle, these results are just as important as the administrative work.
“Success means a client can give more to their children while giving to the church,” he says.
Build credibility in the fiduciary sector
The fiduciary services industry relies heavily on trust and professional standards.
In order to deepen his specialist knowledge, Schmalzle joined several professional groups specializing in estate administration and compensation services.
These include the Professional Fiduciary Council of Florida and Professionals of After Loss Services (PALS).
He says continued education is critical in an area where laws, procedures and financial structures can change.
“I joined these organizations to develop my career,” he says. “The further training and the support network are important.”
A service-oriented leadership style
Despite building a growing company, Schmalzle still puts his work in simple terms.
For him, the venture is a continuation of the same instinct that led him to help his church neighbor years ago.
“I never expected to start SOS,” he says. “It was just a matter of accepting a calling and trying to keep moving.”
This approach still guides his leadership.
“What I thought was my weakest moment, the loss of my father, gave me incredible compassion for others who are grieving,” he says.
In an industry that is often characterized by legal processes and financial structures, Schmalzle sees the human aspect of estate work as the most important.
“Faith helps me trust that my God-given talents will enable me to serve those in need,” he says.
And for the families he works with, that attitude could be the true legacy of the company he built.
