I have always required it to be self-financing, and have never seen anything wrong with that, although I know that I am in a minority. As I have very little patience, I build them very quickly. Since I started counting in October 1992, I have completed 276 models. Only living in a small bungalow, it would not have been practical to keep them all, they would not have fitted in, even though most are less than two feet long (including display case). In the early years, as I said, I gave a number of them away, but after seeing them re-appear in various shops and auction houses, I thought that I may as well have the money rather than those that I gifted the models to. Having given them away, the new owners had every right to sell them, but I couldn't help feeling rather annoyed with the situation, so discontinued it. As Jim said, once you sell for a profit, it becomes work rather than a hobby. Very true, and because of this, I stopped taking private commissions in the year 2000, and only built what I felt like from then on. Even this became difficult, because I am always being pressured by collectors to build specific models, or subjected to "If you ever feel like building..... I will buy it!" So nowadays, I have stopped disclosing what, if anything, I am building, and producing no build logs, even on my own website. On the other hand, fellow ship modellers will barely give them a second glance, and I stopped exhibiting them anywhere years ago. So you can say that I have reverted to building for my own pleasure - but once they are completed, they will invariably be sold. Also, as I said, I hand over all the money, less building expenses, to my wife, so although we benefit as a couple, I do not make anything personally, but bills have to be paid.
Bob