The start-up expense for Maria’s food truck is the kitchen appliances and other equipment needed to conduct her business.

In small business and entrepreneurship, a start-up expense is a cost you must pay before you can open and begin operating, such as buying the truck, purchasing cooking equipment, refrigerators, and initial tools. Ongoing items like a cell phone bill or gas are considered operating expenses because they are paid regularly after the business is already running, not just at the beginning.

So, if the choices were:

  • Kitchen appliances and other equipment
  • Cell phone bill
  • Gas

then the correct answer is the kitchen appliances and equipment, because those are one-time or upfront investments needed to get Maria’s food truck ready to serve customers.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.