Data Act Prep Drills

Field Notes

The EU Data Act kicks in on 12 September 2025. It forces product makers to share device and service data with users and third-party providers when asked. PwC’s summary reads like a workout plan: build data portability APIs, design request workflows, and prove you can delete or anonymize records on command. If you treat it as paperwork you’ll drown. Treat it as a product feature and you’ll stand out.

Signal Check

• Users gain the right to port data quickly and free of charge. That means your CRM, analytics and in-product logs must be export-ready.
• Third-party providers can request data too, provided the user authorizes it. You’ll need a trust layer to manage those handoffs safely.
• The Commission explicitly calls out SMEs—no exemptions. But they promise templates and online portals. Don’t wait for them; design your own now.

Marketing Pulse

Turn data transparency into a selling point. Publish a “Data Choreography” page explaining how the Personal Business Trainer stores, encrypts and exports information. Include short videos showing the export workflow. Make trust a creative asset, not a buried clause.

Operations Flow

Map every dataset you touch: onboarding surveys, AI prompt logs, payment histories, audio transcripts. Label who owns it, where it lives, retention rules, and export format. Store the map inside the trainer and review it quarterly. Build a request workflow with status tracking so your team can see when a data export is due and who’s on point.

Innovation Muscle

Explore new services built on portability. Could you offer “founder data vaults” that bundle financials, marketing metrics and product telemetry into a single shareable pack? Could you partner with other studios to create privacy-preserving benchmarks? The Data Act pushes openness; lean into it with offers that make data sharing feel premium.

Experiments for this week

1. Run a mock data portability request end-to-end. Time each step, document the blockers, and fix at least one before the real deadline.
2. Create a “data incident war game.” Simulate what happens if a partner mishandles exported data. Capture the script inside the trainer so everyone knows how to respond.
3. Offer clients a personalized “Data Dossier” that summarizes their marketing/ops/innovation performance. Deliver it as a secure link to showcase your portability muscles.