The Early Podcast

Episode #34 - From the Bottom of a Bottle - Early Uber Employee & UNICORN Founder Phil Mikhaylov | The Early Podcast

From the Bottom of a Bottle 🍷 with Phil. Rare whiskey. Uber war stories. Immigrant hustle. In this episode of The Early Podcast, I sit down with Phil Mikhaylov, early Uber operator and founder of Unicorn, the fastest-growing marketplace for rare spirits and wine. We talk about growing up as a Soviet-era immigrant, grinding through Uber’s wild early days (from slogging Lyft drivers to launching Uber in India), and how a lifelong obsession with bottles, time, and craft turned into a $150M+ business. This is a conversation about hustle, execution, ownership, and building something that lasts — one story at a time. 🎧 Birth-year bottles 🚗 Uber chaos 🦄 Building Unicorn, the biggest wine and spirits biz anywhere: https://www.unicornauctions.com/ 🔥 Turning “no” into “YES” #TheEarlyPodcast #StartupStories #FounderJourney #Entrepreneurship #EarlyStage #EarlyPod -- 🎙️ ABOUT THE SHOW: The Early Podcast is where host Max Crowley, Uber’s #25 employee, sits down with the earliest builders behind today’s most iconic companies. No fluff, just raw stories from the trench years when your startup could still fail tomorrow. ✅ Subscribe for more untold startup stories every week ✅ Like, comment & share if you know someone who’d love this ✅ Listen on Spotify, Apple, or anywhere you get your podcasts ⸻ Let’s go. 💥 🎧 Listen to the full episode: 🔹 Spotify: https://earlypod.com/spotify 🔹 Apple Podcasts: https://earlypod.com/apple 🚀 New episodes drop every Tuesday. Let’s build this together. 👉 Like, subscribe, and drop a comment — I want to hear from you!! 📩 Thoughts or guest ideas? Email me: max@earlypod.com 📱 Follow for daily updates: • 🐦 X (Twitter): https://earlypod.com/x • ✨ TikTok: https://earlypod.com/tt • 📸 Instagram: https://earlypod.com/ig • 💼 LinkedIn: https://earlypod.com/li • 📩 Newsletter: https://earlypod.com/subscribe

#33 - He Fought the Law, and Won — Early Uber Political FIXER Bradley Tusk | Early Pod

Episode 33! An interview with Bradley Tusk, the EARLY Uber political strategist and FIXER. Bradley wanted to get into politics from a young age and eventually became Deputy Governor of Illinois at just 29. Travis called him when Uber was fighting for its life in city after city. Before Uber, Bradley ran major political campaigns across the country and advised Mayor Bloomberg. After helping Uber legalize ridesharing, he went on to work on fantasy sports and other heavily regulated industries. In this episode, we get into how power actually works: the political incentives that drive every decision, why good people don’t run for office, the back-room battles behind keeping Uber alive, and why mobile voting could change everything. Bradley also breaks down VC delusion, autonomous vehicles, AI hype, and the future of American politics. If you’re into startups, government, tech history, or the chaos behind the scenes… this one’s GREAT. #BradleyTusk #Uber #UberStories #Startups #TechHistory #Politics #Regulation #TechPolicy #TechPodcast #FounderEnergy #TheEarlyPodcast #EarlyPod #MaxCrowley -- 🎙️ ABOUT THE SHOW: The Early Podcast is where host Max Crowley, Uber’s #25 employee, sits down with the earliest builders behind today’s most iconic companies. No fluff, just raw stories from the trench years when your startup could still fail tomorrow. ✅ Subscribe for more untold startup stories every week ✅ Like, comment & share if you know someone who’d love this ✅ Listen on Spotify, Apple, or anywhere you get your podcasts ⸻ Let’s go. 💥 🎧 Listen to the full episode: 🔹 Spotify: https://earlypod.com/spotify 🔹 Apple Podcasts: https://earlypod.com/apple 🚀 New episodes drop every Tuesday. Let’s build this together. 👉 Like, subscribe, and drop a comment — I want to hear from you!! 📩 Thoughts or guest ideas? Email me: max@earlypod.com 📱 Follow for daily updates: • 🐦 X (Twitter): https://earlypod.com/x • ✨ TikTok: https://earlypod.com/tt • 📸 Instagram: https://earlypod.com/ig • 💼 LinkedIn: https://earlypod.com/li • 📩 Newsletter: https://earlypod.com/subscribe

#32 - Equal Share - Early Compass Brokers Mark Jovanovic & Scott Hustis | Early Podcast

**👩‍💻 This episode is brought to you by CURA – Virtual Assistants trained for real estate. From inbox management to marketing and social media, or whatever daily tasks you need, CURA helps agents free up time and grow their business. Learn more at workwithcura.com 👩‍💻** -- What happens when two brokers decide to split everything 50/50 and go ALL IN together? Scott Hustis and Mark Jovanovic were among the early Compass brokers who helped shape the company from its scrappy Urban Compass days into one of the largest brokerages in the U.S. In this episode, we cover: ✅ How Scott & Mark built a true 20-year partnership by sharing everything equally ✅ The grit of grinding through the 2008 financial crisis in New York real estate ✅ Why they made the leap to join Compass early, and what those chaotic first months looked like ✅ Behind the scenes of Compass’ disruption strategy, growth, and culture ✅ Lessons on partnership, risk-taking, and betting on yourself If you’re interested in entrepreneurship, real estate, or what it really takes to build something new, this one’s for you. 📍 Hosted by Max Crowley, Uber’s 25th employee. 📌 Subscribe for more conversations with the early builders behind iconic companies. #Uber #Startups #Tech #FounderEnergy #CareerAdvice #TheEarlyPodcast #EarlyPod #realestate #realtors #compassrealestate #brokers -- 🎙️ ABOUT THE SHOW: The Early Podcast is where host Max Crowley, Uber’s #25 employee, sits down with the earliest builders behind today’s most iconic companies. No fluff, just raw stories from the trench years when your startup could still fail tomorrow. ✅ Subscribe for more untold startup stories every week ✅ Like, comment & share if you know someone who’d love this ✅ Listen on Spotify, Apple, or anywhere you get your podcasts ⸻ Let’s go. 💥 🎧 Listen to the full episode: 🔹 Spotify: https://earlypod.com/spotify 🔹 Apple Podcasts: https://earlypod.com/apple 🚀 New episodes drop every Tuesday. Let’s build this together. 👉 Like, subscribe, and drop a comment — I want to hear from you!! 📩 Thoughts or guest ideas? Email me: max@earlypod.com 📱 Follow for daily updates: • 🐦 X (Twitter): https://earlypod.com/x • ✨ TikTok: https://www.earlypod/tt • 📸 Instagram: https://www.earlypod/ig • 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.earlypod/li • 📩 Newsletter: https://earlypod.com/subscribe

#31 - Feeding the Beast - Early GOOGLE Employee Kevin Willer | The Early Podcast

From dot-com chaos to Google’s rocket ship. Kevin Willer helped establish Google’s Midwest presence in Chicago when “search” wasn’t yet obvious and ad tech was still being pieced together. He scored Kevin@google.com, watched the 2004 IPO rewrite his life, sat with the team in NYC on 9/11, and later helped Chicago “plant a flag” with 1871, its startup hub. In this episode, you’ll hear: • How Google turned every product into a search machine (and why that printed cash) • Why downturns (dot-com bust, Great Recession) created Google and Uber • The folklore behind Kevin@google.com and opening Google Chicago • The IPO moment: from “J-O-B” to choosing meaningful work • A surreal 9/11 story from inside Google’s business team in Manhattan • Building 1871 and what it takes to ignite a city’s startup ecosystem • Real talk on careers: relationships, respect, and timing over pedigree If you love unfiltered origin stories, hard lessons, and the decisions that change a life — this one’s for you. 👉 If this hit, like, subscribe, and drop a comment with your favorite moment. #Google #Startups #TechHistory #EarlyEmployees #ChicagoTech #CareerAdvice #1871 #TheEarlyPodcast #EarlyPod — 🎙️ ABOUT THE SHOW: The Early Podcast is where host Max Crowley, Uber’s #25 employee, sits down with the earliest builders behind today’s most iconic companies. No fluff, just raw stories from the trench years when your startup could still fail tomorrow. ✅ Subscribe for more untold startup stories every week ✅ Like, comment & share if you know someone who’d love this ✅ Listen on Spotify, Apple, or anywhere you get your podcasts ⸻ Let’s go. 💥 🎧 Listen to the full episode: 🔹 Spotify: https://earlypod.com/spotify 🔹 Apple Podcasts: https://earlypod.com/apple 🚀 New episodes drop every Tuesday. Let’s build this together. 👉 Like, subscribe, and drop a comment — I want to hear from you!! 📩 Thoughts or guest ideas? Email me: max@earlypod.com 📱 Follow for daily updates: • 🐦 X (Twitter): https://earlypod.com/x • ✨ TikTok: https://www.earlypod/tt • 📸 Instagram: https://www.earlypod/ig • 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.earlypod/li • 📩 Newsletter: https://earlypod.com/subscribe

#30 - A Handsome Canadian - Early Uber Employee Jeremy Lermitte | The Early Podcast

Jeremy Lermitte’s story has it all: a Canadian farm kid who lost $25K trying to trade stocks, hustled his way into Uber New York as employee #4, and eventually became a product manager driving some of Uber’s biggest global features. He later co-founded Red Circle, a rapidly growing podcast advertising platform. In this episode, we cover: • How persistence (and a few lucky introductions) got him into Uber • The wild days of Uber New York, customer credits, and “Uber Chopper” • Breaking into product management without a technical background • What it takes to build a startup after Uber — and almost running out of payroll • Why persistence beats pedigree, and why proximity matters If you like stories about scrappy beginnings, growth, and reinvention — this one’s for you. 👉 Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and drop a comment if you enjoyed the episode. #Uber #Startups #Tech #productmanagement #FounderEnergy #CareerAdvice #TheEarlyPodcast #EarlyPod -- 🎙️ ABOUT THE SHOW: The Early Podcast is where host Max Crowley, Uber’s #25 employee, sits down with the earliest builders behind today’s most iconic companies. No fluff, just raw stories from the trench years when your startup could still fail tomorrow. ✅ Subscribe for more untold startup stories every week ✅ Like, comment & share if you know someone who’d love this ✅ Listen on Spotify, Apple, or anywhere you get your podcasts ⸻ Let’s go. 💥 🎧 Listen to the full episode: 🔹 Spotify: https://earlypod.com/spotify 🔹 Apple Podcasts: https://earlypod.com/apple 🚀 New episodes drop every Tuesday. Let’s build this together. 👉 Like, subscribe, and drop a comment — I want to hear from you!! 📩 Thoughts or guest ideas? Email me: max@earlypod.com 📱 Follow for daily updates: • 🐦 X (Twitter): https://earlypod.com/x • ✨ TikTok: https://www.earlypod/tt • 📸 Instagram: https://www.earlypod/ig • 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.earlypod/li • 📩 Newsletter: https://earlypod.com/subscribe