I don't think there's pressure to train early, I think it's quite the opposite. If you start your child before they're 2.5 people look at you like you've sprouted four heads. Then when your child is 18 months old and potty trained they look at you with deep envy.
The signs that your child is "ready" are IMO completely bogus. It's about when the parent is ready, and understanding where your child is at developmentally. If you get there at 3.6 that's good for you, but if you get there earlier that's good for you too.
IMO the signs that my DS was ready to start were:
(1) processing sequences
(2) following short instructions and
(3) mimicking.
I was ready when his poo had transitioned from nasty breastfed poo/peanut butter poo to proper poo. This was when he was 14 months old. "Wee" was one of his first words, so was poo. Initially it was parent led, but once he knew what the toilet (not potty, wouldn't sit still) was for, it was entirely baby-led.
We'd wake up in the morning and I'd say "do you need to wee?" and he'd nod or point and off we'd go. It took him about 2 weeks until he was holding in his big first morning wee. A month and he would hold in a poo all day long to do it on his home toilet. A year later he has started saying "I don't like to poo at nursery." He's had that sentiment all along, though.
In the beginning we spent AGES in the bathroom, doing puzzles and reading books. We'd sit there as long as he was happy to (and no longer) which was often half an hour when he needed to poo. (It took him a while to squeeze it all out.) This is clearly not for everyone and I doubt it's something you could manage with more than one child. However, as a full-time working parent, I was happy to spend this amazing quality one-on-one eye level time with my boy and he learned so much. He knew all his animals (two puzzle boards of 9 animals each), 9 fruits, various types of truck, etc. long before he could say those words. The potty training was almost a fringe benefit to hanging out in the bathroom.
The key to younger potty training is preparation and proper expectations. He stayed in nappies (with regular toilet breaks) until he was poo trained, then he moved to Y-fronts with something stuffed in the front which would catch a wee and protect his trousers. By 18 months he was completely clean and dry, but did regress with teething.
The benefits to this are numerous. The environment was saved hundreds of nappies (nursery and husband insist on disposables) and tons of washing. Potty training was an entirely stress-free process for both of us, with no more accidents (possibly less because I was prepared). But the biggest benefit I can see is that we didn't try and start potty training him while developmentally he was in the midst of a very difficult time.
2-3 years is a classic age for pushing boundaries, asserting independence, saying "no" to everything, insisting on doing things for themselves, etc. My DS cannot remember a time he wasn't using the toilet. He only associates the toilet (well and the grass) as the place to wee/poo. Potty training has been an entirely natural process for him, and something he has enjoyed. What we did was NOT EC; he was learning how to use the toilet rather than me learning his cues for needing to use the toilet.
He's now 2.2 and had his first dry, nappy-free night this week. (He has had many dry nights since we started putting him on the potty when he wakes up -- still not sleeping through!) He wiped his bum himself today for the first time and is getting to grips with pulling his undies and trousers down over his bum. He will ask to use the toilet when he needs to poo, but will just hold onto a wee until you say it's time. I blame nursery for this as they take scheduled potty breaks; in the beginning he used to ask but quickly got out of the habit.
Some would say he's not potty trained because he's not doing it 100% on his own. I would say I don't care what you call it, my child doesn't need a nappy and so he doesn't wear one. I'm still his mum, he's still the very young toddler with far more important things to do with his brain power, and taking him to wee every now and then is my responsibility.