Business as it really is.

Fact: There are some 60,000 active businesses in Hawaii.

Less than half have a payroll.

And of those that do, 88 percent have from one to 19 employees.

How many businesses can you name without looking at the Yellow Pages?

A hundred? Maybe. Likely less.

So where are those tens of thousands of businesses hiding out? Some in fairly ratty places with rents that don't choke them to death.

And what do they do?

Some people are surprised when I reveal that the vast majority of businesses are only interested in doing business with other businesses. Many don't even have signs on their premises, others are truly out of …