1 general:: Phrase(s): early on early; at an early stage. • We recognized the problem early on, but we waited too long to do something about it. • This doesn’t surprise me. I knew about it early on.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs
2 general:: At an early stage in a process or course of events, as in He started using computers very early on. [1920s]
American Heritage Idioms