Idea entrepreneurs always have been around, but we're just now finding a term for them. It's about time, because these people are, according to John Butman of the Harvard Business Review, major cultural players who light the path for the rest of us.

These individuals throw their weight behind an idea (usually unconventional), seek to educate others about it, and in some cases, build an enterprise around it. Part maverick, part romantic, and all elbow grease, an idea entrepreneur seizes an idea for affecting positive change in the world, and puts passion and hard work into implementing it.

"Thanks to the amazing range of activities we have for creating and sharing ideas, \[idea entrepreneurship\] is within reach for just about anyone," writes Butman, who explores the concept in his book Breaking Out: How to Build Influence in a World of Competing Ideas. "If you have an idea, and want to go public with it, idea entrepreneurship can be one of the most powerful forces for change and improvement in the world today."