Develop yourself. Never stop learning. Have an optimistic outlook. Have a pleasant personality. Work well with others. Don't afraid to do more than necessary.

Avoid excessive startup if possible. I was young and naive. After doing 5 or 6 startups, I realized it's a lossy deal. VC spread their risk by investing in 10 companies and assuming 9 would fail. Founders go in with 90% chance of failing but with enough equity to offset the risk. Early employees are screwed, with 90% chance of failing but with meager equity, while doing huge amount of work.

Join startup for the learning. Join big company for the cash. If you really want startup, join late stage startup that are making money, which drastically cuts down the risk of failure while still give you upside.

Go into consulting is you want the cash. You have to be good and deliver.