1. Never tell them your plan
I know it's hard. Heroes don't make plans, they just smash other people's. So they're not going to appreciate the fourth stage, when the orbital lasers come together perfectly and start boiling off the atmosphere. But now it's never going to happen. Because� you told them your plan.

2. Never team up
Crime is kind of lonely. You catch yourself thinking things, like, "Nechrotron does such great work with undead. He's probably not such a bad guy to have a beer with� we should team up! Like the heroes do!" Yeah, Nechrotron feeds on the human soul. He has a skull for a head. He doesn't want to hang out or steal stuff with you, or high-five you after a big job. He doesn't even have real hands.