Episode 6

The $150 Vending Machine That Replaced Her Architecture Salary

She moved to a country where she knew almost no one, couldn’t get hired, and bought a vending machine just to have something to do.

Jemma Chapman didn’t plan to start a business.

She moved to Toronto from the UK with two suitcases, spent months sending out hundreds of job applications in architecture and hearing almost nothing back, and eventually bought a $150 vending machine just to have something to do.

That machine, stocked with $2 miniature prints of Toronto landmarks, snacks, and everyday moments, is now part of a movement.

Six months after launching Toonie Stamps, Jemma is earning more per month than she ever did as an architect. There’s a TTC collaboration, a Daily Bread Food Bank partnership, and a growing community of people falling back in love with their city along the way.

In this conversation, Sarah and Jemma get into what it actually looks like to build something from nothing in a city where you know almost no one. The moment Jemma knew Toonie Stamps had become a business (hint: the TTC emailed her). Why she resisted social media for six months before it changed everything. How she’s navigating the tension between growing a business and staying true to her values around community and accessibility. And what it felt like to pass her architect salary six months in, selling $2 stamps.

ABOUT JEMMA CHAPMAN

Jemma Chapman is a UK-born architect and illustrator who moved to Toronto in January 2025. After nearly a year of not being able to land a job in architecture, she founded Toonie Stamps, selling $2 miniature Toronto-inspired prints through converted vending machines across the city. Find her at tooniestamps.com and on Instagram @ToonieStamps.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

• Toonie Stamps online: tooniestamps.com
• Jemma on Instagram: @ToonieStamps
• Jemma’s collaboration with the TTC
• Her partnership with the Daily Bread Food Bank
• Watch the full conversation on YouTube

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So glad you’re here. I’m Sarah Janzen.

Corporate ladder-climber turned 7-figure entrepreneur. Inspiring and helping other women make their own successful leap. Taking my Fortune 500 sales. & marketing experience + Master Coach credentials to help other women with the clarity, confidence, and strategy to build a business they love.