The totals on the first chart are wrong. In 2 years he lost $23k. (Or you could say the "totals" are correct, but calling it "net profit" is wrong.)

Yeah, either way, financially that would never make sense to me.

OP has significant savings. They are their own VC. Think of it in terms of a startup, most of which don't turn profits for years.

Most companies, especially small ones, lose money in their first 2-3 years...

You know, I think there might be something to any publicity is good publicity in this case. It's controversial to do something 99.999 percent of the workforce would not. So, by posting even when there is no great success, he is growing his exposure and making it easier in the future.