Jacob Schmalzle founded Spirit of Service after navigating probate in the wake of personal loss. The Winter Garden-based firm charges only the state minimum and directs a portion of every fee to the client’s chosen charity.
The retirement community member needed help planning for probate. Jacob Schmalzle, a church volunteer and musician, agreed without hesitation. He did not know it was a paid role. When the check arrived, he tithed it back to help another resident facing financial hardship. Word traveled quickly through the halls. More requests followed. What began as a neighbor helping a neighbor became the foundation for Spirit of Service, a Winter Garden firm that now serves as estate executor and trustee for families navigating the administrative aftermath of loss.
Spirit of Service was formally established in 2025. The company describes itself as a faith-based alternative in an industry where hourly billing and prolonged timelines often erode estate value. Jacob states that the firm charges only the state minimum rate of 3 percent and donates 10 percent of all fees collected back to the client’s church or favorite charity. According to the company, more than $2 million has been directed to charitable causes from client estates.
The Weight of Paperwork and Grief
Jacob’s route to estate services was not mapped in advance. He lost his father and grandmother within months of each other. The compounded grief came with a steep learning curve: probate filings, trust administration, creditor notifications, asset inventories. He describes the process as difficult to navigate without guidance, particularly while mourning. The experience left him with what he calls true personal compassion for clients facing similar circumstances.
His father, Pastor Bob, had been a missionary. The family spent years living overseas, where Jacob learned early that service often means responding to needs that do not arrive on a schedule. He states that his father taught him to see Christ in others and to serve when called. The principle carried through his adult life, informing a career built around entrepreneurship and problem solving rather than predictable corporate ladders.
Business Across Borders
Jacob brings more than two decades of entrepreneurial and consulting experience to his work. Between 2007 and 2016, he founded and scaled ventures that spanned multiple countries. EcoPallets Kenya Limited, which he led as CEO from 2013 to 2016, expanded operations across four nations. East Africa Pet Food Distributors, launched in 2010, addressed supply chain gaps in a developing market. Village Markets of Africa, founded in 2007, focused on trade and market development in the United States.
He returned to Florida and served as US Sales Director at MW Control Solutions from 2020 to 2024, managing revenue growth and client relationships in industrial automation. Simultaneously, he maintained his work as an independent business consultant, a role he has held since 2006. The consulting practice offered exposure to operations management, strategic planning, and the mechanics of scaling service businesses under resource constraints.
Jacob is a member of the Professional Fiduciary Council of Florida and the Professional of After Loss Services, organizations that provide continuing education and peer networks for those serving grieving families. His past affiliations include the American Chamber of Commerce chapters in Johannesburg and Nairobi, the Central Florida Christian Chamber of Commerce, and the Osceola County Chamber of Commerce. He also participated in trade missions through the U.S. Commercial Service.
A Different Incentive Structure
The role of estate executor is traditionally assigned to family members, attorneys, or financial institutions. Jacob observes that even when a child is named executor in a will, the complexity of probate often leads to outsourcing. Lawyers bill by the hour. Banks operate on fee schedules that extend beyond the statutory minimum. Neither, he argues, is incentivized to move quickly.
Spirit of Service positions itself as an alternative. The firm states that it operates efficiently, never charging more than the state minimum of 3 percent, and folds charitable giving into its fee structure. Jacob describes the model as one that increases value to families and communities by spending less estate value on legal fees. He states that Spirit of Service is the only estate executor company he has been able to find that includes giving on behalf of the client.
The company’s stated mission centers on stewardship and compassion. Jacob describes success not in terms of revenue or market share, but in enabling a client to give more to their children while also supporting their church. He emphasizes that the firm was created to ensure no one has to endure the stress of probate during an already difficult time.
Faith as Framework
Jacob identifies his leadership principles as rooted in faith. He states that trust in his God-given talents has equipped him to serve those in need. The decision to launch Spirit of Service, he says, was not a calculated business move but a response to a call. He describes his personal life at church, particularly the act of serving a neighbor, as the catalyst for the company’s creation. Spirit of Service, in his view, is the professional extension of a personal commitment to serve each client.
The company’s values emphasize bringing comfort to families and managing estates with what it describes as Christian values of stewardship. Jacob notes that integrity, trustworthiness, experience, and empathetic delivery are core to the firm’s identity. He reflects that what he once considered his weakest moment—losing his father—became a source of incredible compassion for others navigating grief and paperwork.
Building a Practice on Presence
Jacob attended Wittenberg University, though he does not hold certifications specific to fiduciary services beyond his membership in professional councils. His expertise has been shaped largely through lived experience and the operational demands of running businesses across varied industries. The combination of consulting, international trade, and sales leadership provided a foundation in contract negotiation, stakeholder communication, and process design—skills that translate directly to estate administration.
Spirit of Service operates in a hybrid model, serving clients throughout Florida from its base in Winter Garden. The firm’s website outlines services that include probate management, trust administration, and personal representative duties. Jacob emphasizes that the work is relational as much as it is technical. Families in crisis, he notes, need both competence and presence.
What Remains After Loss
The firm’s charitable giving structure is designed to extend the legacy of each client. By directing a portion of fees to churches or nonprofits chosen by the estate, Spirit of Service embeds philanthropy into the administrative process. Jacob describes this as building stewardship and giving into the client’s story, even after they are gone.
He continues to serve as an independent business consultant while leading Spirit of Service. The dual roles reflect a broader pattern in his career: maintaining multiple ventures, adapting to shifting demands, and finding ways to apply business principles to service-oriented work. He states that he never expected to start SOS, but once the need became clear, it was simply a matter of keeping his feet moving.
Jacob Schmalzle and the Work Ahead
The estate services industry remains dominated by institutions with long histories and established fee structures. Spirit of Service enters that landscape with a model built on transparency, efficiency, and faith-informed values. Whether the approach scales beyond individual client relationships remains to be seen. What is evident is that Jacob has constructed a practice shaped by personal loss, entrepreneurial instinct, and a conviction that service should not end when the check clears.
He continues to expand his professional education through the Professional Fiduciary Council of Florida and the Professional of After Loss Services. The support network, he notes, is essential for navigating the legal and emotional terrain of estate work. As Spirit of Service grows, Jacob remains focused on the metric that matters most to him: enabling families to give more, grieve with less burden, and honor the lives of those they have lost.
