Fewer than 1/10th of 1% (≤ 30,000) of the 30+ million businesses in America today will ever qualify to Go Public on Wall Street or access traditional capital markets (e.g., Investment Banks, Underwriters, Private Equity, Venture Capitalists, Angel Investors, etc.). Banks and Credit Unions are also lousy funding sources for Main Street businesses as less than 10% of all small business loan applications are approved, with the average application taking over 30 hours to complete. This leaves credit cards and “Friends & Families” as last sources for capital, with challenges like high interest rates, and legal and financial problems. ISM solves these problems for Main Street businesses. Average Retail Investors (aka, Non-Accredited Investors) cannot invest in companies alongside Angels or VCs, let alone buy stock in a Wall Street-bound firm just before/as it goes public. ISM solves these problems. Although Accredited Investors have access to investing opportunities unavailable to typical Retail Investors, such opportunities tend to be limited in scope by 1) Geography, and 2) The network reach of the Accredited Investor. ISM solves these problems. ISM takes advantage of the capabilities enabled by the JOBS Act of 2012 to allow Main Street businesses to legally raise money through a new financial marketplace — the Independent Stock Market — via two new approaches: 1) Equity Crowdfunding, and 2) Public Offerings via a Reg. A+ Registrations. {ISM can also help firms navigate “Friends & Family” funding rounds if needed.} ISM allows Main Street businesses to leverage both existing and prospective customers as potential investors (either pre- or post-IPO), while also eliminating stock manipulation by unscrupulous parties.