Wright's Gym Member Spotlight: Liam Burns Although we haven’t posted a member spotlight in quite a while, it doesn’t mean there has been a shortage of outstanding members worth sharing with the public. In fact, it really means there are so many outstanding members we don’t know where to start when choosing someone to share. Luckily, we finally landed on an incredible member whose story is one of the most relatable that we’ve ever seen. We could not be more grateful to shed a spotlight on member Liam Burns. To start off, Liam not only makes time to train down at Wright’s Gym multiple times a week practicing Brazilian jiu jitsu and boxing, but also runs his business Burnz Electric LLC as an electrician by himself. He found success in his quality of service and built his reputation on transparency to customers which has left him with no shortage of work. He is a two stripe blue belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu, halfway to his purple belt. Anyone who has trained in BJJ understands the discipline required not only to keep showing up on a weekly basis, but to advance in such a highly technique based martial art. Before starting his own business, Liam served in the United States Air Force for 6 years. There he met many career driven individuals whose influence set the example of how to become successful in today’s world. With his experience, we get the opportunity to share his advice with hopes it motivates everyone to be their best self and take risks we know will pay off. First we must begin with Liam’s story early on in his life. Liam graduated from West Allegheny High School in 2014. He was the smallest kid in his grade and his family was concerned he may have a growth disorder. Despite this, from 8th to 11th grade he rode his bike to a free boxing gym in the area where he trained for roughly three years and competed in six amateur bouts. Here he built confidence which easily could’ve been seen as an issue for someone facing his circumstances. He also performed the pole vault in track and field, where height also can be seen as an advantage. This set the stage for his life after high school, taking risks that ultimately led to his success, however Liam admits he was directionless after graduation unsure of what career he should end up in. Liam contemplated dozens of career paths out of high school but couldn’t settle on something. He considered the route of college, taking general education courses at CCAC and scouting schools like Robert Morris. None of this was satisfactory and looking to his own family, his uncle having a career in the U.S. Air Force played a role in his enlisting. Liam says this decision helped him tremendously. He met career driven people and picked up on many good habits that lead to success. He worked in logistics handling the coordination of materials and deliveries also serving a six month deployment in the country of Qatar. While in the U.S. Air Force reserves, Liam worked part time as a pizza shop worker and began acquiring experience working with his dad who is an electrician. Liam did this and after six years he began to make a commitment to becoming an independent electrical contractor himself. In May of 2023, Liam created his business Burnz Electric LLC. All of his experience was gained in the field working with his father. First acquiring work from friends, he booked himself with his first two weeks of work. Since then, he has always been booked with jobs. He specializes in full transparency, keeping customers entirely in the loop throughout the completion of his jobs so they can be confident that what they are requesting is being done. His reputation of being trustworthy has led his business to remain successful for the past 3 years being independently contracted, however it was not a cakewalk by any means. Liam stressed that it was the risk of stepping into the field as a sole business owner and working through scenarios that seemed scary at first but paid off through diligence and confidence in himself that played a major role in his success. Leading up to and during his time building his business, Liam devotes surrounding himself with good people throughout his life as being the biggest key to his success. Even being a business owner in a trade like electrical work, Liam still has made the time to train at Wright’s Gym where he says his confidence has continuously been built. This confidence in himself wasn’t built overnight, but in his dedication to keep showing up every week. Liam described traditional weightlifting as not the best fit for him, so learning the skill of BJJ not only appealed to his mind but kept him in great shape. Similar to his time in the U.S. Air Force, he says the relationships he’s built here at Wright’s Gym training with his peers have been incredibly fulfilling and give him great encouragement. Everything Liam has learned while training at Wright’s Gym has transferred over into his life as a business owner. BJJ may seem scary at first and requires a lot of discipline in order to advance in, hence why there is testing in order to go from a white belt to a blue belt and so on. At first it can seem like a mountain to climb, but Liam noted that taking every day step by step and setting small goals has led to all the ground he has covered. Similar to his business, at times it can seem like an overwhelming responsibility, but step by step, whether small or large, he is able to overcome his obstacles by breaking things down into accomplishable tasks. We love Liam’s story because it shows how building confidence isn’t a one day ordeal. In fact, Liam has been building confidence over his whole life. Whether it was riding his bike to a boxing gym in high school, enlisting in the U.S. Air Force to find direction or starting his business Burnz Electric LLC, his whole life he has built confidence through taking a risk that ultimately paid off. Not to mention signing up as a member at Wright’s Gym where that same confidence continues to flourish. Here he has made new friendships and helped be an example of what it looks like to take risks, have discipline and make sacrifices that pay off. Everything he has gained in Wright’s Gym seeps into his life outside the gym and we hope his story is an example for everyone in the public to take that first risk that will ultimately pay off for you. Whether it’s entering a career field you’re interested in, stepping into a new hobby or taking that first step down the famous stairway into Wright’s Gym, you never know what success is awaiting you on the other side until you take that risk. Thank you all for reading Liam’s spotlight and you can find him down at Wright’s Gym week by week working towards his purple belt.
