Entrepreneurship that Moves People: Dot Fennell on Creating CargoB

Season #1 November 18, 2025

In this trailer, we hear from Dot Fennell, a transportation planner, mom of three, and co-founder of CargoB, the nation’s first on-demand electric cargo bike share. Her long-standing engagement in her community, from organizing a Bike Bus for her school to participating in city planning meetings, helped her and her co-founder recognize a clear gap in local transportation. People needed an easy way to get around with kids, groceries, or gear without relying on a car. CargoB became their solution.

Dot reflects on how Boston’s strong ecosystem for small business owners, including Main Street organizations, grant opportunities, and networks that support women-owned businesses, helped bring the idea from concept to reality. She also notes that city governments around the country often reach out, interested in how to replicate a model like CargoB. It illustrates how entrepreneurial initiatives can complement public goals by offering practical, community-centered tools that cities may not have the capacity to build on their own.

Her message to listeners is energizing. If you notice a need in your community, explore it. Your idea might grow into a business or become another way to contribute locally. Either direction begins with trusting what you see and taking one real step forward.

This trailer invites you to consider: What need have you noticed in your community, and what possibility might open up if you explored it more fully?

Episode Transcript

Trailer Transcript: Dot Fennell, Co-Founder of CargoB on the Conversations With Erica Podcast

Had I not started CargoB I probably would have done something more along the lines of continuing to make cargo bikes available in my community. I started the Bike Bus for my school. I stay engaged in my community with city government through city planning meetings.

And I think what it comes down to is knowing what your passion is and focusing on that, but also tapping into the resources that are available to entrepreneurs. Boston has an amazing network of Main Street organizations that support small businesses, whether they are a brick and mortar or they operate in some other fashion. There's grant opportunities. There is also a support network as a woman owned business.

I bet someone who's listening to this has an idea that's worthwhile. And if you don't do it, no one else is going to do it. Like, city government could not make CargoB happen. There's too many barriers to it. They want it…We get called by city governments across the country constantly asking how they can stand up something like this in their own cities. But they don't have the capacity to build a program like this out in this kind of way. So what I do for transportation, guaranteed, someone right now who's one of your listeners, has that same practical idea that simply has not been brought to the table yet. Explore it and whether or not it turns into a business, find some way to contribute because again, when I step back and I say, there's all these challenges that we're facing in a larger society, well, what can I do on a local level? Here's what I can do.

Entrepreneurship that Moves People: Dot Fennell on Creating CargoB

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