step zero is to have common sense.

    "Bob:           I quit my job to create a cool startup"
    "Bob's friends: (applauses) Wow, Awesome Bob!"

if this works for you, that's great, it won't work for many other people, if not for most. 95% chance it won't work for Bob either.

but what does work is "common sense", which gets overlooked and dismissed constantly in favor of "advice" from Iknowitall wannabes.