How Does a Cash-Strapped Soul-Food Restaurant Let Customers Know That It's Open for Business? - Audio Available

MENLO PARK, Calif., Aug. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Homestead Technologies, Inc. (http://www.homestead.com/) provider of website building software, ecommerce solutions and online products and services for small businesses and John William Templeton, editor of Blackmoney.com and author of the Third Annual State of Black Business report, are working together to raise the visibility of the more than 1.2 million black-owned businesses in the United States so that they can acquire new customers and markets through technology.

To view the Multimedia News Release, go to: http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/homestead/25303/

Templeton demonstrated the lack of information with an exhibition SFSoul last August that highlighted 60 black-owned restaurants in San Francisco after meeting with a high-ranking tourism official who couldn't find even one. Using Homestead's website creation tool, he is unveiling blackrestaurant.info (http://blackrestaurant.homestead.com/ ) to provide an easy-to-reference guide for customers and travelers with an initial listing of 300 restaurants from Harlem to Sioux Falls. "The new startup farmerbrown in San Francisco has found that the Internet has fueled its meteoric success in just three months of operation," Templeton notes. "While compiling the list for blackrestaurant.info, I'm struck by the majority of the restaurants that do not have their own web site."

The good news is that Black entrepreneurship is on the rise. A report issued by the U.S. Census Bureau states that between 1997 and 2002, the number of black-owned businesses in the United States rose 45% to 1.2 million, while combined revenue increased 25% to 88.8 billion. The challenge is helping black business owners understand the importance of developing a web presence and leveraging technology to help them increase their visibility and reach.

"Black Business Month is a perfect opportunity for Homestead to salute minority entrepreneurs, and it also reminds us that we still have a ways to go to realize our mission of level the technology playing field for all small businesses," said Justin Kitch, Homestead founder & CEO. "Unfortunately, what John Templeton's research has shown us is that many black-owned restaurants are simply not yet online. Ironically, developing a web presence can have the greatest impact on the success of a business, while still being its least expensive marketing vehicle. The key for these businesses is to provide basic information for their customers on their site and also market their businesses online in order to reach out to those who live outside of the communities in which they're located. Homestead recognizes the challenges that small business experience trying to get online and created products such as Homestead QuickSites and Homestead Searchlight to help solve these problems."

To read John William Templeton's blog that follows his culinary journey, please visit: http://www.blackpressonline.com/blackmoneyblog.html .

About Homestead Technologies, Inc.

Homestead Technologies, Inc. (http://www.homestead.com/), provides a suite of easy-to-use, non-technical website creation products, ecommerce solutions and online marketing products and services for small businesses that wish to establish or enhance their presence online. Homestead Storefront provides the ultimate "one-stop" ecommerce solution for business owners who want to manage their online businesses professionally, smoothly and efficiently. More than 12 million people have used Homestead's award-winning design, ecommerce, marketing and hosting capabilities to create feature-rich, professional-quality websites in minutes. For over ten years, Homestead has helped small businesses succeed online, and has been the recipient of numerous awards, including, CNET "Editor's Choice," PC magazine, "Editor's Choice," PC World, "Best of the Web," and Forbes, "Best of the Web." Homestead is based in Menlo Park, California, and its services are available at http://www.homestead.com/.

About QuickSites(TM)

QuickSites is Homestead's fastest and most complete "do-it-yourself" web site creation solution. QuickSites are professionally pre-designed web sites that include relevant copy, professional images, navigation and pages specific to hundreds of different types of businesses. The QuickSites design gallery offers over 2,500 aesthetically rich web sites that service the needs of almost any type of business. Not only does QuickSites represent hundreds of different types of businesses, but it also offers diverse web site designs within the same business category. For example, if you're a restaurant owner who owns a Texas BBQ or French bistro -- QuickSites are designed with representative sample menus and the appropriate look and feel to help you establish a positive and lasting impression for your restaurant.